Every NJ House Democrat Votes For New Abortion Rights Bills

NEW JERSEY — The U.S. House of Representatives passed a pair of bills Friday that would protect access to abortions on the federal level, getting “yes” votes from every Congressional Democrat in New Jersey – and “no” votes from the state’s two Republicans.

The two proposed laws passed the House by slim margins, almost exclusively along party lines.

The Women’s Health Protection Act passed by a vote of 219-210, getting “yea” votes from each of New Jersey’s Democratic Congress members: Donald Norcross, Andy Kim, Josh Gottheimer, Frank Pallone, Tom Malinowski, Albio Sires, Bill Pascrell Jr., Donald Payne Jr., Mikie Sherrill and Bonnie Watson Coleman. It got “nay” votes from Republicans, Jeff Van Drew and Chris Smith.

If it becomes law, the bill would “prohibit governmental restrictions on the provision of – and access to – abortion services.” The House passed a previous version of it, but the bill didn’t survive a Senate vote. Learn more here.

The Ensuring Access to Abortion Act passed by a vote of 223-205, with the same results in New Jersey.

If it becomes law, the bill would “prohibit anyone acting under state law from interfering with a person's ability to access out-of-state abortion services.” Learn more here.

Rep. Mikie Sherrill of New Jersey’s 11th District supported both bills in a statement:

“When the partisan Supreme Court struck down 50 years of legal precedent, they stripped women of our constitutional freedoms and put our health at risk. In states like New Jersey, we have already stood up to ensure that the court’s extremist views do not restrict the freedom of our residents. But we cannot forget about women in places like Texas or Mississippi, where state legislators are controlling residents and acting to punish them for seeking health care. I’m proud to vote for these two bills that ensure women, no matter where they call home, have the right to access the health care they need and the right to control their own bodies.”

As a result of the Senate previously failing to act on it, the House repassed the Women’s Health Protection Act with language “addressing the current events” to pressure the other chamber to “do their duty and protect freedom,” Sherrill said.

But supporters of the ruling, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, have argued that the Supreme Court “corrected an error” that “simply returns this very sensitive issue to the people's representatives.”

Both bills now head to the Senate – where they must make it past a possible filibuster – and potentially to the desk of President Joe Biden.

The bills come as a response to June’s ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court, which essentially dismantled Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling legalizing abortion on a federal level. Now, it will be up to states to decide the future of abortion within their own borders. Read More: Roe V. Wade Overturned: How Abortion Bans Will Impact New Jersey

After the court released its landmark ruling, Rep. Van Drew put out the following statement:

“The United States Supreme Court has the sacred responsibility of interpreting the Constitution and upholding our nation’s founding principles free from political interference, which is exactly what it did today. The integrity of the court and its decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade must be respected, and we must come together to reject the latest attempts by those who disagree with today’s decision to abolish or pack the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court made the right decision to return this issue to the states so they can create their own laws regarding abortion. Here in New Jersey, we must continue to speak out and fight against Gov. Phil Murphy’s radical policies that call for taxpayer funded partial birth abortions.”

In New Jersey, abortion access is protected by state law via the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, which Murphy signed earlier this year. Read More: NJ Abortion Law Sees Fierce Controversy; Here's What It Will Do

New Jersey also offers certain protections to out-of-state residents who have the procedure done within its borders. Read More: Abortion Protections For Out-Of-Staters Become NJ Law

However, another proposed law that would require New Jersey health insurance plans to fully cover abortions, while appropriating $20 million toward a Reproductive Health Access Fund, remains stalled in the State Legislature. Read More: NJ Bill Would Help Women Pay For Abortions, Planned Parenthood Says

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