Sherrill Signs Reproductive And Gender-Affirming Care Protections Into Law

By Gianna Puglisi (NJ State House News Service)

MONTCLAIR, N.J. – Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed a measure Thursday that guarantees new reproductive and gender-affirming health care protections under state law. The ceremony in front of Montclair’s Planned Parenthood center roared not with passing vehicles, but instead with applause and cheers as Sherrill and other Democratic state leaders voiced their support. 

“Policy that protects humanity will always have an army of people moving it, not without obstacles or challenges, but filled with love and passion,” said Senate Majority Leader Teresa Ruiz of Newark, a key sponsor of the bill. 

“A doctor will walk into an exam room and treat a patient without wondering if they will face punishment for providing lawful treatment. A patient will walk into a clinic without a second thought about who might try to stop them from getting through the door to access the care that they need. That won’t happen by accident. It will happen because we chose to write it into law,” Ruiz said.

Sherrill remains a sharp critic of President Donald Trump and his administration’s efforts against reproductive and gender-affirming care, saying Trump “declared war on health care” since he returned to office. 

“We know Trump’s strategy: threaten institutions until they cave. He’s already done it with universities and hospitals,” Sherrill said. “This bill tells insurers that they can’t penalize providers for offering reproductive health care, no matter what threats Trump issues. I’m going to take on whoever tries to mess with New Jersey’s health care, and I’m going to follow the fight wherever it takes us, from the clinic to the courtroom.”

Legislative background 

The measure passed the state legislature in June along partisan lines, after impassioned and lengthy debate. 

Assembly Member Luanne Peterpaul, a Democrat from Long Branch, took the brunt of tense dialogue on the Assembly floor just hours before the legislature adjourned for the summer, and reflected that emotion again Thursday. She said the legislation sends an important message to New Jersey residents.

“We are committed to support best practice, science-based medical care and the patient-medical professional relationship,” Peterpaul said. “To the women and young women of New Jersey, and my LGBTQ+ community, we heard you, we listened and today we are acting.”

The measure protects those seeking, providing or assisting with care, as well as creating a new crime of up to the second degree for anyone who obstructs reproductive or gender-affirming medical treatments. 

Reproductive health care services, as defined in the legislation, are “all medical, surgical, counseling, or referral services relating to the human reproductive system, including, but not limited to, services relating to pregnancy, contraception, managing infertility, or the termination of a pregnancy.” 

What drew profound Republican opposition, however, were the bill’s provisions outlining protected gender-affirming care, specifically potential care for minors. 

“It’s abhorrent, and you should be ashamed,” Assembly Member Paul Kanitra, a Republican from Point Pleasant Beach, bellowed to the rest of the chamber during the heated June 30 debate, because the bill also protects underage gender-affirming care.

Other Republicans objected that the new protections are not limited to New Jersey residents, but also shield people traveling from states where care is restricted.

National and state context

The bill was partially prompted by the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision overturning Roe v. Wade, the landmark 1973 case that protected a person’s right to get an abortion under the 14th Amendment. In the past four years, states have implemented starkly different practices for reproductive care. 

According to the bill’s sponsors, New Jersey has faced a 30 percent increase in the treatment of patients traveling from out-of-state to receive care no longer offered in their own state. In addition, facilities that provide gender-affirming services have faced threats.

Sherrill said Thursday that her goal is to ensure medical decisions are private and protected to counter Trump’s federal efforts.

Looking ahead to the elections this fall, Sherrill believes that this bill and other measures signed this summer clearly communicate the state government’s goals to protect New Jerseyans. 

“This isn’t necessarily about any one message. This is about how, at the state level, we’re charting a different path forward than we see everything coming from the federal level,” Sherrill said. “I think there’s a model developing here in New Jersey as we’re governing in a really, I think, powerful way – listening to people, addressing affordability, protecting civil rights and liberties…People can be assured that they have a government that is working hard for them.”