ASSEMBLYMAN WEBBER THREATENS REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES FOR NEW JERSEY’S WOMEN

Fairfield, NJ — In spite of the fact that the majority of New Jerseyans support reproductive health services for women, Assemblyman Jay Webber threatens a woman’s right to work with her doctor to make her own healthcare decisions. This includes access to critical women’s health services, such as breast cancer screenings, contraception, STD screenings, pregnancy care, and pelvic exams.

“Assemblyman Webber has repeatedly voted to give the government the right to control a woman’s body in order to promote his own agenda,” said Mikie Sherrill. “The leadership that we need in Washington will protect a woman’s right to work with their doctors to make their own healthcare decisions. We must support reproductive health services like access to contraception and quality family planning services because they are critical to the health of New Jersey’s families.”

There is bipartisan support for reproductive health services in New Jersey. As Ashley Koning, Director of the Eagleton Center for Public Interest Polling said in a poll release, “Opinions about coverage requirements, funding for low-income women, and of Planned Parenthood moreover often cut across partisan lines in New Jersey, with support spanning a wide range of demographics.”

According to a 2017 Rutgers-Eagleton Poll of New Jersey voters:

• 78 percent support state funding and 77 percent support federal funding for reproductive health services for lower-income women.

• 84 percent support Medicaid paying Planned Parenthood for reproductive health and preventative care services.

• 76 percent believe it is important for health insurance plans to continue covering the cost of birth control with no out-of-pocket costs to the individual, including 43 percent of Republicans.

• 65 percent hold a favorable view of Planned Parenthood.

Assemblyman Webber has continuously voted against women’s healthcare:

• Webber voted against requiring health insurance coverage for contraceptives to include prescriptions for six months (A2297, 2017)

• In 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2018, Webber voted against providing Medicaid coverage for family planning to those at 200 percent of the federal poverty level (A3273, 2010); (A4171, 2013); (A2795, 2014); (A4604, 2015); (S1017, 2016); (S105, 2018)

• Webber repeatedly voted against restoring funding for Planned Parenthood and other Family Planning Clinics (S2139, 2010); (S788, 2012); (S2825, 2013); (A3492, 2016); (S120, 2018)