Middletown's 2 Congressmen Have Vastly Different Views On Abortion

MIDDLETOWN, NJ — Hey Middletown, who's your congressman and what are their views on a lighting-rod issue such as abortion? Well, that depends where you live.

Middletown is actually split between two Congressional districts: North Middletown, including Belford, Leonardo and Port Monmouth, is in New Jersey's Sixth Congressional District, represented for decades by Democrat Rep. Frank Pallone.

Meanwhile, the rest of Middletown, including Lincroft, Red Hill and Fairview, is in the Fourth District, represented by Republican Congressman Chris Smith. Check this map to see where exactly the two districts fall in Middletown (NJ 4 is the shaded area; everything north is NJ 6): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

And both had wildly different reactions this week to the leaking that the U.S. Supreme Court is poised to overturn Roe v. Wade.

South Middletown Congressman Smith welcome the news, calling it "a powerful step" in protecting "the weakest and most vulnerable."

Smith is a staunch Catholic who has long opposed abortion. Every winter, he speaks at the March for Life protest in Washington, D.C.

"I join millions of Americans who are hopeful that government-sanctioned violence against babies and the exploitation of women by abortion is nearing an end," said Smith. "A new national debate on abortion has begun and fresh scrutiny must be brought to bear on how the lives of unborn children are destroyed including by dismemberment with sharp knives, pulverization by powerful suction devices, or poisoning by any number of toxic chemicals ... We are at the tipping point."

Mike Crispi, a Republican challenging Smith in the June primary, tweeted a comment that simply said: "OVERTURN ROE V. WADE NOW! We must end the vile practice of abortion in this country once and for all."

Meanwhile, North Middletown Congressman Pallone, a Democrat, called this "an assault."

"Roe v. Wade has stood for nearly 50 years protecting the right to abortion," said Pallone Tuesday. "If this draft opinion is accurate, the Supreme Court is on the cusp of overturning half a century of precedent and decimating reproductive rights for millions of Americans. This is an assault on women and their ability to make their own healthcare decisions and undermines the right to privacy for all Americans."

Politico reported Monday that it had obtained the draft majority opinion written by conservative Justice Samuel Alito, and circulated inside the court, that strikes down Roe as well as Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the case that affirmed a woman's right to obtain an abortion.

As of Tuesday afternoon, Chief U.S. Supreme Court Justice John Roberts has now confirmed that this is a genuine draft. He also called the leak "a betrayal" and said a full investigation will be done to find the person who leaked it to the media.

However, much can change before the court publishes its final decision, which would likely be in June or July.

If the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down Roe v. Wade, access to abortion would be decided at the state level. Right now, 22 U.S. states have laws on their books to ban or restrict abortion, and four more appear poised to do so, according to the Guttmacher Institute, an abortion rights policy group.

Even if Roe v. Wade is overturned, women would still have access to abortion in New Jersey. Abortion access in New Jersey was largely secured by Gov. Murphy in October of 2020, when he helped pass the Reproductive Freedom Act.

Murphy said he specifically signed that bill into law six days after then-President Donald Trump selected Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court.

"Quite frankly, while enraging, this news is hardly surprising," said Murphy on Tuesday. "This is exactly why we took the step we did earlier this year in enshrining every New Jerseyan's full reproductive rights into state law."

"NJ 6" stretches from Carteret and Woodbridge into Edison and New Brunswick, down into parts of Old Bridge, through Aberdeen, Hazlet, Holmdel, North Middletown, Atlantic Highlands and Highlands. It also includes Asbury Park and Long Branch.

Related: 4 Republicans Seek To Challenge Rep. Frank Pallone In 2022 Midterms (April 5, 2022)

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