After last week disappointing and disheartening Supreme Court hearing on the Mississippi’s law that, if the judges determine its constitutionality, would mean the end of access to abortion for millions of women at federal level, we must guarantee the access to an abortion and reproductive health care to NJ women and girls. The RFA (Reproductive Freedom Act) was kept into a drawer by Sen. Pres. Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin for too many months to avoid putting it in discussion in Health commissions. Once the legislative session is over (in a couple of weeks), the new lawmakers will be seated, with a smaller Dem. majority than we have right now, and the process would have to start all over.

Make no mistake about it, pro-life supporters are coming for the criminalization of abortion and everyone who seeks an abortion and those who help the woman in her endeavor. We are not exceptional, this happens around the world, it may happen in the US.

If you don’t want to have an abortion, don’t do it, but you cannot decide for me over my health care issues and my well-being. I refuse to become a second class citizen. While the “green wave” has been making progress on reproductive health and rights in Latin America (See “How the ‘Green Wave” movement did the unthinkable in Latin America” NYT), here in the US we are fighting not to go back in time. If you want to guarantee access to sexual education to decide, access to contraceptives to avoid abortion and legal abortion to avoid risking women’s lives, call Sen. Sweeney, Assm. Coughlin, Sen. Vitale (Health Committee Chair) and Assm. Conaway (Health Committee Chair) now. Remember: we have only two weeks until the legislative session is over.