NEW JERSEY — U.S. Congressman Josh Gottheimer (NJ-5) Monday announced action to protect a woman’s right to choose, including against new legislative threats to in vitro fertilization (IVF), to protect women’s data and privacy on reproductive health apps, and to push to fully codify Roe v. Wade in federal law.
Fourteen states have full bans, not including Georgia, which has a ban at about six weeks of pregnancy, before many women even know they are pregnant. About half of states are expected to enact bans or other limits. Nearly all of these bans are without exceptions for rape or incest.
Gottheimer outlined the following steps:
- Fighting Back Against Legislative Threats to IVF: Today, Gottheimer raised deep concerns about the use of in vitro fertilization (IVF) being at risk due to federal legislation introduced by extremists. After hearing many anti-abortion voices say that the issue would be left to the states, 166 members of Congress are cosponsoring the Life at Conception Act, which not only creates a national ban on abortion ban but also creates a new personhood status after fertilization. So, if an embryo does not survive for implantation, it could be considered an illegal abortion. This would restrict women from making decisions about their body and health at any time and will attempt to block those seeking to get pregnant using IVF — which helps more than 300,000 women a year start or grow a family.
- Protecting Women’s Data and Digital Privacy: Today, Gottheimer sounded the alarm on data collected by big tech companies, from web searches, widely used smartphone apps that women use to track cycles, e-commerce searches and purchases, and location data being used to prosecute and jail people seeking reproductive care in states where it’s banned. Gottheimer is fighting to pass the My Body, My Data Act, which creates a new national standard to protect personal reproductive health data by minimizing the data that is allowed to be collected and retained. This legislation will help prevent women’s reproductive and sexual health information from being disclosed or misused.
- Pushing to Codify Roe v. Wade in Federal Law: Gottheimer proudly cosponsored and voted for the Women’s Health Protection Act, which successfully passed the House to codify Roe v. Wade. Now, Gottheimer is continuing to call on the Senate to immediately codify Roe v. Wade into law to protect a woman’s right to choose nationwide.
“We are watching in real time the widespread consequences of those who have declared a war on choice, a war on women’s healthcare, and a war on personal privacy,” said Gottheimer, a member of the Congressional Pro-Choice Caucus. “All women have a fundamental right to make personal, private healthcare decisions about their own bodies, lives, and futures. No one should get between a woman, her doctor, and her faith. I’m here to announce action we must take to protect a woman’s right to choose, including against new legislative threats to in vitro fertilization, known as IVF, to protect women’s data and privacy on reproductive health apps, and to push to fully codify Roe into federal law.”
“We must stop these extremists in their tracks from continuing to wage war on women and families. And until we do so, far-right extremists will continue to take away women’s right to choose, even in cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother,” Gottheimer said.
“Over the last three months, we have seen the devastating impact of abortion bans across the country. Patients have already been forced to travel to our health centers right here in New Jersey from states like Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Ohio, and Texas. But we’re not backing down. At Planned Parenthood, we will work to ensure that everyone — no matter who you are, where you live, how much money you make, what insurance you have — can access the full range of reproductive health care services that they need and deserve,” said Dr. Elizabeth Talmont, DNP, a provider with Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey.
Gottheimer was joined by NJ State Senator Gordon Johnson, Bergen County Commissioners Mary Amoroso and Germaine Ortiz, and Dr. Elizabeth Talmont, DNP, a provider with Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey.
