In the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, which overruled Roe v. Wade and imperiled the rights of millions of women throughout the country, Acting Attorney General Matthew J. Platkin today announced the creation of a Reproductive Rights Strike Force, comprised of officials across the Department of Law & Public Safety.
The Strike Force will include representatives from the Division of Law, Division of Criminal Justice, Division of Consumer Affairs, Division on Civil Rights, the New Jersey State Police, and the Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor.
The Strike Force will initiate civil and criminal enforcement actions and develop other strategic initiatives to protect access to reproductive health care and abortion care for New Jersey residents and residents of other states who travel to New Jersey to access such care.
The Strike Force will work with the Office of the Attorney General to coordinate enforcement actions across the entire Department of Law & Public Safety.
“A woman’s right to choose what happens to her own body is a fundamental measure of freedom in a society and it must be protected if we are to uphold the founding principles that all Americans are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Acting Governor Sheila Oliver said.
“I commend Acting Attorney General Platkin for taking this necessary action to not only protect, but to enforce, the rights and freedoms of women and care providers in New Jersey.”
The Strike Force will use available civil and criminal enforcement tools to protect the right to obtain abortion care in New Jersey, including:
- By holding accountable individuals who threaten or intimidate patients or providers at clinics that provide reproductive health care
- By holding accountable individuals who violate patient confidentiality requirements
- By developing strategic initiatives and undertaking investigations to help secure the private data of patients and providers and to limit the sharing of personal health-related data with third parties
To learn more about your rights to access reproductive care, please click here.