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

“On behalf of the 120,000+ patients served annually by Planned Parenthood affiliates in New Jersey, we want to thank Speaker Coughlin and Senate President Scutari for seeking and trusting our guidance and expertise.

“Ballot measures are a step we should only take if we need to – and right now, we don’t. Thanks to the leadership shown by Governor Murphy and the Legislature, New Jersey already has some of the strongest abortion protections in the country. Additionally, our state benefits from nearly forty years of state Supreme Court precedent protecting abortion rights. A misworded ballot measure could bring us backwards. We will continue to advocate for strengthening access to reproductive health care, including abortion, by breaking down barriers to getting care and making meaningful financial investments into providing care. This is what will truly move our state forward.

“Additionally, a ballot measure would require an investment of tens of millions of dollars. Because the Governor and Legislature have taken action this year, we believe a better approach now is investing those dollars instead in providing health care services. Our top priority is ensuring that patients receive the full range of reproductive health care services they need. Any ballot measure needs to be very carefully considered and we support efforts to ensure that it is done in the right way – by energizing supporters and protecting hard-won freedoms enjoyed by people in New Jersey.”

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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.