The Women's Reproductive Health Care Compact Act authorizes the Governor of New Jersey to enter into a compact with other states, districts, or territories to protect and enhance women's reproductive health care services. The compact aims to prevent the extradition or investigation of individuals involved in providing or receiving these services, safeguard the confidentiality of related records, and protect providers from negative licensing actions or malpractice insurance increases. Additionally, it prohibits the collection of specific data related to individuals seeking reproductive health care services, including their domicile and barriers faced when seeking out-of-state care.
The bill outlines that any member state can withdraw from the compact with six months' notice and that the attorney general of each member state is responsible for enforcing the compact. It also emphasizes that the compact should be interpreted broadly to fulfill its objectives and ensures that if any part of it is deemed unconstitutional, the remaining provisions will still be valid. The act will take effect 60 days after its enactment, and it includes a significant insertion recognizing the constitutional protection of a woman's right to make reproductive health care decisions as articulated in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.