abortion rights Advocates joined with Congressman Bill Pascrell and other state leaders today to continue the cry for National laws that protect a woman's right to reproductive Health Care the event held as 13 states so far have limited access to abortion but as Melissa Rose Cooper reports the New Jersey Advocates don't plan to give up the state status as an abortion Safe Haven we have no right to control a woman's health and that woman has every right with her doctor to make that final decision I believe Congressman Bill peskrel strongly behind no push to protect Reproductive Rights the Supreme Court has chipped away at Women's Freedom community in the total overturning of Roe versus Wade in June of last year since then 13 states in the Union have completely eliminated access to woman's choice and more than a dozen have enacted onerous restrictions to women's Freedom endangering the health and safety of tens of millions of women today my granddaughter who's only 16 years old has less rights today than what I had when I was her age that is going backwards it is not going forward advocacy the need to protect Reproductive Rights continues to grow as members of the Republican Party increasingly attempt to restrict care last week a federal appeals court ruled the fda's approval to make the abortion medication pill if a press Stone widely available more than 20 years ago was illegal if upheld by the Supreme Court the pill would be prohibited from being obtained through telemedicine appointments and mail States across the country are rushing to ban abortion and push reproductive Health Care Out Of Reach Larissa Mendez Downs is a director of public affairs and advocacy for Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan New Jersey she says in fancy abortion bans and reproductive care restrictions are increasingly putting Patients health at risk with people in black and brown communities often bearing the brunt of disparities in attempting to push extremist ideologies into legislation what the anti-abortion majority is doing is actually depriving folks of their rights to privacy to health care and to making the best decisions for their bodies themselves and their families and forcing many into Unthinkable situations that we now hear about daily acting Health commissioner Dr Caitlin Bastian saying New Jersey is committed to being a leader in reproductive Health rights in 2022 Governor Murphy codified the right to reproductive choice in state law through the freedom of reproductive Choice Act since it's signing additional actions across the administration have included supporting reproductive health care providers by making grants and zero interest for givable loans available for for facility and security upgrades enacting protections for Reproductive Health Care Providers and out-of-state residents seeking Reproductive Services in our state protecting access to reproductive Health Care on behalf of residents from New Jersey and other states initiating rule making to require coverage for abortion services without exceptions under the health benefits plans regulated by the New Jersey Department of banking and insurance creating and implementing New Jersey reproductive training and education initiative through funding to Rutgers University and expanding funding for State Family Planning program through the New Jersey Department of Health which includes clinics in every County Advocates say their grateful New Jersey is a safe haven for Reproductive Rights and they plan to continue fighting until all women are protected everywhere for NJ Spotlight news I'm Melissa Rose Cooper support for the medical report is provided by Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association foreign