Abortion in 2021
Saanvi Kunisetty
Currently, there are many rules in place in regards to abortion that are proving to be widely controversial. For instance, only doctors can perform abortions, which can only be performed in a hospital or surgery center if they occur past 14 weeks of pregnancy. The newly proposed rules would permit practice nurses and physician assistants to perform abortions too, and would allow for “early aspiration abortion” to be performed in medical offices without the use of anesthesia. Governor Phil Murphy and other members of the state legislature have widely declared their support for abortion rights, and have voted to repeal the old and restricting rules of abortion. They also announced that they would pass a bill called the Reproductive Freedom Act. Repealing the former rules would result in the elimination of abortion barriers unrelated to safety. Additionally, the new bill, along with its regulations, would ensure that reproductive health care is unrelated to factors such as income and insurance status.
The looming prospect of a Supreme Court case threatens to address controversial abortion issues discussed in the 1973 landmark case of Roe v. Wade. Pro-choice advocates and activists are worried that the recently appointed conservative jurist Amy Barrett may endanger the abortion rights of women. In the state case of Dobbs v. Jackson, the only abortion clinic in the state sued on behalf of Jackson Women’s Health Organization, proclaiming that Mississippi’s post-15-week pregnancy abortion ban was unconstitutional for placing prohibitions on abortion. When the Supreme Court announced that it would be reviewing the case, concerns of the people were only further heightened. The Supreme Court is not expected to take a decision until the following year, so, New Jersey has decided to take action instead of waiting on the upcoming decision. Many activists and Democractic lawmakers are calling for the Reproductive Freedom Act to be approved, which would value reproductive health care and abortion rights of women. The bill will expand the state fund that provides prenatal care to undocumented immigrants, increase the availability of abortions by authorizing nurses and physician assistants to perform them, and require insurance policies to cover contraception and abortion needs.
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