Sponsored by:
Senator JOHN J. BURZICHELLI
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
Senator M. TERESA RUIZ
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators McKnight, Burgess, Mukherji and McKeon
SYNOPSIS
Establishes reproductive health travel advisory.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the establishment of a reproductive health travel advisory and supplementing P.L.2021, c.375 (C.10:7-1 et al.).
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Legislature finds and declares that:
a. While many pregnancies are safe and uneventful, there is always some risk that a pregnancy will unexpectedly result in a medical emergency endangering the life or health of the patient.
b. The effective treatment of such emergencies sometimes requires termination of the pregnancy.
c. The level and type of risk for each patient varies with the duration of the pregnancy, and with a patients underlying medical condition.
d. In the states that limit reproductive health care services, it is unclear to what extent necessary medical treatment for pregnancy-related emergencies will be permitted.
e. There is therefore a need to create an advisory that will inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States limit reproductive health care services so that they may make informed travel decisions while pregnant.
2. a. The New Jersey Department of State shall establish the New Jersey Reproductive Health Travel Advisory. The travel advisory shall inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States restrict access to reproductive healthcare services.
b. The travel advisory shall provide a description of each state in the United States with respect to reproductive healthcare services including but not limited to, gestational duration bans, waiting periods, insurance coverage bans, medication restrictions, constitutional protections, funding available to patients for reproductive health care services, and criminal and civil liability for patients and healthcare providers. The travel advisory shall provide the information according to the following tiered system:
(1) Blue: Exercise normal caution, which signifies that pregnant individuals have access to all forms of reproductive medical care without fear of civil or criminal prosecution;
(2) Yellow: Exercise increased caution, which signifies that pregnant individuals have restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in civil or criminal prosecution; and
(3) Red: Reconsider travel, which signifies that pregnant individuals have extremely restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in an adverse medical outcome, pregnant individuals being subject to civil or criminal prosecution, and individuals seeking emergency reproductive medical care not being provided life-saving care due to state law.
c. The Department of State shall publish the travel advisory in a prominent location on its Internet website and update the advisory for each state every time a state experiences a change in its law, rules, or regulations concerning reproductive healthcare services.
3. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill requires the Department of State to establish the New Jersey Reproductive Health Travel Advisory to inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States restrict access to reproductive healthcare services.
While many pregnancies are safe and uneventful, there is always some risk that a pregnancy will unexpectedly result in a medical emergency endangering the life or health of the patient. The effective treatment of such emergencies sometimes requires termination of the pregnancy. In the states that limit reproductive health care services, it is unclear to what extent necessary medical treatment for pregnancy-related emergencies will be permitted. There is thus a need to create an advisory that will inform New Jersey residents of the extent to which states within the United States limit reproductive health care services so that they may make informed travel decisions while pregnant.
Pursuant to this bill, the travel advisory is to provide a description of each state in the United States with respect to reproductive healthcare services, including but not limited to, gestational duration bans, waiting periods, insurance coverage bans, medication restrictions, constitutional protections, reproductive health care funding, and criminal and civil liability for patients and healthcare providers. The travel advisory is required to provide the information according to the following tiered system:
(1) Blue: Exercise normal caution, which signifies that pregnant individuals have access to all forms of reproductive medical care without fear of civil or criminal prosecution;
(2) Yellow: Exercise increased caution, which signifies that pregnant individuals have restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in civil or criminal prosecution; and
(3) Red: Reconsider travel, which signifies that pregnant individuals have extremely restricted access to reproductive medical care that could result in an adverse medical outcome, pregnant individuals being subject to civil or criminal prosecution, and individuals seeking emergency reproductive medical care not being provided life-saving care due to state law.
The Department of State is to publish the travel advisory in a prominent location on its website and update the advisory for each state every time a state experiences a change in its law, rules, or regulations concerning reproductive healthcare services.