Reproductive Freedom and Health Equity Bill Package

The Reproductive Freedom and Health Equity Bill Package is a package of 9 bills that protect patients and providers, support bodily autonomy, and proactively modernize and codify different elements of reproductive health care access and provision in New Jersey. 

The nine bills in the Reproductive Freedom and Health Equity Bill Package will:

1. S3452/A4601 - Provide insurance coverage for abortion without cost-sharing;
2. S3490/A4655 - Remove medically unnecessary restrictions on reproductive health providers;
3. S3491/A4656 - Protect patients and providers of reproductive health and gender-affirming care;
4. S3492/A4657 - Invest in the reproductive health care infrastructure;
5. S3493/A4658 - Ensure patients’ sensitive reproductive health data is protected;
6. S3494/A4659 - Make reproductive health care more accessible on college campuses;
7. S3495/A4660 - Provide student loan redemption for reproductive health physicians;
8. S3496/A4661 - Allow New Jerseyans to support reproductive health care with donations through tax returns; and
9. S1513/A4662 - Ensure Medicaid coverage for emergency contraception.

Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in June 2022, 21 states across the country have banned or severely restricted abortion access. One in three American women of reproductive age, plus more trans and nonbinary people, are blocked from abortion access in their home state. Political attacks on gender-affirming care services for transgender and gender-nonconforming individuals have occurred in many of the same states.

Here in New Jersey, advocates, legislators, and the Murphy administration have worked hard to protect rights and access for individuals seeking reproductive health care. However, many of these safeguards are not guaranteed, even in a “protected” state like New Jersey. The progress New Jersey has made could be taken away at the whim of a state or federal election or an extremist Court.
 

Together, the 9 bills included in the Reproductive Freedom and Health Equity Bill Package respond to the post-Roe health care landscape in the U.S. They prepare New Jersey for future attacks on bodily autonomy and reproductive freedom. Through this bill package, New Jersey can be prepared for the future and protect our rights for generations.