Politics

New Jersey Dems Plan To Enshrine Abortion In State Constitution

(Photo credit should read ROBYN BECK/AFP/GettyImages)

Sarah Wilder Social Issues Reporter
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New Jersey state legislators plan to propose a constitutional amendment that would enshrine a right to abortion in the state constitution, the New Jersey Globe reports.

The amendment would appear on ballots in the Nov. 2023 general election. A source told the outlet the proposed amendment would broadly define abortion as a right that could not be taken away but would still allow the legislature to pass laws regulating abortion as long as those laws do not conflict with the state constitution. (RELATED: ‘Underdogs’: Blake Masters Slams Republican Strategy, Spending Decisions While Conceding Arizona Senate Race)

“While Democrats have not shared their proposal publicly, we should oppose their effort on both moral and scientific grounds if it seeks to enshrine in our constitution the extreme idea that abortion should be legal right up until birth,” Republican state Senate Minority Leader Steve Oroho told the Globe. “We should follow the science to determine when an unborn child is viable outside the womb and when that child feels pain. Further, we should not sacrifice women’s safety by allowing non-doctors to perform invasive abortions as Democrats have sought to allow.”

On Nov. 8, voters in Michigan, California and Vermont approved amendments enshrining abortion in their state constitutions. Prop 3 in Michigan amended the state constitution to protect abortion, while Prop 1 in California stated that “the state cannot deny or interfere with a person’s reproductive freedom and that people have the fundamental right to choose.”

In Kentucky, voters rejected a proposed amendment which stated that “nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.” Montana voters rejected a measure that would have guaranteed live-saving care to infants born alive, including as the result of botched abortions.