Description of bill A3418:  Enters NJ in Women’s Reproductive Health Care Compact. 

 The bill will enable the Governor to execute the Women’s Reproductive Health Care Compact on behalf of NJ and will be fully operative between NJ and other states, districts, or territories of the U.S.  It specifies that a member state shall work with other member states to:

 1.  Prevent the extradition or investigation of an individual or entity involved in the provision or receipt of women’s reproductive health services;

2.  Prevent the disclosure of records or permitting civil discovery orders to the provision or receipt of women’s reproductive health care services;

3. Prevent negative licensing actions or malpractice insurance increases and clawback lawsuits against individuals or entities for the provision or receipt of women’s reproductive health care services;

4.  Prohibit collection of data on (1) the number of individuals seeking women’s reproductive health care services; (2) the domicile (address) of an individual seeking women’s reproductive health services; (3) the form of actions taken against women and their medical providers for seeking out of state reproductive health care services; and (4) barriers identified by women seeking out of state reproductive health care services, including costs for transportation, lodging, food and child care and any other relevant issues. 

Requires the Attorney General of each member state to enforce this compact.  Permits a taxpaying resident of any member state to have standing in the courts to require the attorney general of that member state to enforce this compact.  

Analysis:  Most, if not all, of the components of this bill are already law in NJ.  What this legislation seeks to do is to allow NJ to enter into a compact with other like-minded states.  Although it purports to help women, it will have the opposite effect.   It will actually shield sex traffickers, sexual predators of minors, abortionists who injure women, and other criminals from any penalties as long as they are helping or providing “reproductive health services.”

Update:  The Assembly Community Development and Women's Affairs Committee held a hearing on Thursday, March 20.  NJRTL and other pro-life advocates testified against the bill.  The Democrat members of the Assembly Community Development and Women’s Affairs Committee voted to release this bill today with Asw Fantasia (R-24) who substituted for Asm.Eric Simonsen and Asm Al Barlas (R-40) voting No.    

Status:  The bill has been referred to the assembly appropriations committee for a hearing. Once it passes there, it can be scheduled for a vote by the full Assembly at any time. 

Action needed:  Email and call your two Assembly members and urge them to Vote no on A3418 when the bill comes up for a Vote before the full Assembly.  A companion bill has not yet been introduced.  

You can find your three legislators by searching by your municipality Here, or you can send a pre-written email from this Page.