Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey Reflects on First Anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization

TRENTON, NJ — June 24 marks the first anniversary of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, the U.S. Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe v. Wade.

In the year that has passed, over twenty states – and counting – have banned abortion outright, or severely limited access. People from states where abortion is banned are forced to hundreds or even thousands of miles for care – if they have the means to make such a journey. In health centers and hospitals across the country, what should be a decision left to patients and their providers now involves lawyers, with legal ambiguities and uncertainty putting people’s health at risk. The impacts of Dobbs are not limited to individuals who seek to end a pregnancy: across the country, there are reports of hospitals and pharmacies in states where abortion is banned declining to perform procedures or provide medications used in miscarriage management, because they are the same as those used for abortion care.

New Jersey has not been immune to the impacts of Dobbs. Planned Parenthood health centers are seeing patients from states near and far. Providers are receiving patients from states where abortion is illegal and inaccessible – a number that is likely far underreported, as patients decline to disclose their home state due to fear of criminalization. Providers here are also seeing an influx of patients from New York, where timely appointments at local health centers are unavailable due to an influx of patients from states with abortion bans.

Opponents of safe, legal abortion aren’t finished with their attacks on reproductive and sexual health freedoms. Their end goal was never just overturning Roe. Anti-abortion activists and politicians have a clear agenda: a nationwide abortion ban, and assaults on birth control, gender-affirming care, sex education, and even the books in our libraries – everything they can to control Americans’ bodies and lives. These national efforts will impact us all – even a safe haven state like New Jersey.

As we conclude the first year without Roe, it is time to focus on what comes next. Below is a statement from Jackie Cornell, Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, on the organization’s efforts moving forward.

Statement from Jackie Cornell, Executive Director, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey:

“Americans are seeing what happens when those in power politicize medicine and police individuals who seek and provide health care. Without Roe, millions of Americans have lost the right to make their own personal medical decisions, leading to fear, confusion, and desperation. In New Jersey, Planned Parenthood health centers are stepping up to provide care for anyone who needs it – but no one should be forced to face such difficult barriers to getting the health care services they need.

“Know this: Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey and our supporters will never stop fighting to protect reproductive rights and ensure access to health care for all. Support for protecting access to safe and legal abortion is at an all-time high. The majority of Americans support abortion rights. Reproductive freedom will continue to be a motivating and energizing issue every election.

“With the fall of Roe and the federal protections it guaranteed, governors and states wield unprecedented power over people’s rights and access to abortion care. New Jersey’s entire state legislature is up for election this November. And in 2025, our state will elect a new Governor. Without champions for reproductive and sexual health rights in office, New Jersey could be facing the same attacks on health care, education, and our identities that are currently happening across the country.

“Anti-abortion rights groups and politicians have been working for decades to take away our power to control our own bodies, lives, and futures. What happens in the next two years will lay the foundation for the next two decades – and beyond. “

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Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey (PPAFNJ) is a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) non-profit social welfare organization, and the advocacy arm of the Planned Parenthood Affiliates in New Jersey. We advocate for access to essential health care through education, activism, voter engagement, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy. For more information, visit our website at: www.ppactionnj.org.