Abortion: New Jersey has ensured the right, but must now ensure access
With Roe v. Wade overturned, we’re grappling with the bleak reality that half of the states in our country have, or will soon strip people’s legal right to abortion care. Here in New Jersey, many people feel safe knowing that our recent passage of the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act protects our legal right to abortion even without Roe. But I work at an abortion clinic in Cherry Hill, and I know that even in New Jersey, the legal right to abortion doesn’t mean all people have actual access to it.
At the moment, we’re one of the only providers in South Jersey that provides comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion care throughout pregnancy. That means that a patient living in Cape May County — which has no abortion clinics — would have to drive nearly 100 miles just to get to our clinic. Traveling hundreds of miles round trip isn’t possible for many people — including those who can’t afford to take time off work, pay for childcare during their trip or cover the costs of skyrocketing gas prices.
Even if patients do reach our clinic they’re forced to deal with anti-abortion protestors who harass them and try to block their entrance to the clinic. It’s a common misconception that these protestors are silent and unobtrusive, or speak to patients with compassion and in good faith. The reality is that anti-abortion extremists are acting as vigilantes to try to take away patients’ rights to access care in a safe environment.
Indeed, these extremists bring signs that make offensive references to lynchings and use other explicit, racist imagery to try to intimidate patients. They even create huge “WANTED” style posters with our staff's photos and personal information on them. Protestors will sometimes hide in bushes and try to scare staff, and many protestors are part of known white supremacist groups.
Simply put, extremists — emboldened by the Supreme Court’s ruling and a nationwide push to ban abortion — will continue to harass clinics across New Jersey, no matter what the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act says. We cannot take abortion access for granted and assume that a legal right automatically translates to meaningful access. And as more people come from out of state to access care in New Jersey, the last thing they need is harassment, shaming, and stigmatization in a place they thought would be a safe haven.
New Jersey has already worked hard to ensure access, but there is still more we can do. This moment is New Jersey’s chance to stand up as a leader and serve as an example for other states–both as a place that protects a person’s right to abortion and ensures meaningful access to it.
It will take all of us working together to fend off vigilantes and dispel misinformation. We can each do our part by rejecting anti-abortion stigma in conversations with our friends and family, speaking out about the importance of abortion access, and affirming that all people deserve access to care with dignity and respect.
If you’re ready to get involved with your local clinic, you can make a donation or volunteer as a clinic escort to be one of the first smiling faces our patients encounter and reassure them of their safety and rights — especially when sidewalk bullies and protesters are present.
Otherwise, we can all take responsibility and stand up to these extremists by calling on our lawmakers to expand access to funding and resources for our clinics. It’s time to put patient privacy first and strictly ban the filming of providers, patients, and staff entering clinics. Insurance plans in New Jersey should cover abortion and birth control with no cost-sharing or out-of-pocket costs just like New York, Maine, Illinois, and many other states have done. And people who don’t have insurance should be able to rely on state funding — we have enough for everyone in our community. We should also be protecting our state’s providers as well as patients who come from out of state from being sued, extradited, subpoenaed, or criminalized in any way by states with cruel abortion bans.
Meanwhile, here in Cherry Hill, we will continue to be a warm, friendly, and inviting space that allows patients the freedom to make thoughtful pregnancy decisions surrounded by staff who respect their choices. Our staff will continue to de-escalate harassment and violence, but we need you to help draw awareness to this issue.
Abortion is an essential part of reproductive health care. Our state has legislated that fact, and now we need to make it a reality for all.
Jasmine Winters is the Advocacy Coordinator for Thrive New Jersey Coalition and Cherry Hill Women’s Center.
This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Abortion: New Jersey has ensured the right, but must now ensure access
