SOUND THE ALARM: Jack Ciattarelli is a Threat to Abortion Access in New Jersey
In case you missed it, the New Jersey Monitor wrote a new piece highlighting the stakes of abortion in New Jersey’s gubernatorial election, noting “advocates on both sides of the reproductive rights fight agree the abortion landscape could look vastly different in New Jersey under a Republican governor.” Reminder, Republican nominee Jack Ciattarelli is a staunch anti-choice supporter who has vowed to defund Planned Parenthood, fund crisis pregnancy centers, require parental notification for minors seeking abortions, and sign a bill into law that would largely ban abortion after 20 weeks. Additionally, he supports repealing the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act —the 2022 state law that codified abortion rights in New Jersey — stripping away abortion care for New Jerseyans.
Mikie Sherrill has consistently voted to protect abortion access for New Jerseyans. She introduced legislation in Congress to protect abortion and IVF access for military women, and consistently voted to maintain abortion access, including voting twice in favor of the Women’s Health Protection Act. As governor, Sherill will continue this fight to further protect abortion access in New Jersey and codify abortion rights in the state’s constitution.
Read more on Jack Ciattarelli’s anti-choice record here.
Governor’s race could alter abortion landscape in NJ, New Jersey Monitor
By Dana DiFilippo, 10/08/25
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Advocates on both sides of the reproductive rights fight agree the abortion landscape could look vastly different in New Jersey under a Republican governor, with Ciattarelli vowing to defund Planned Parenthood, fund antiabortion pregnancy centers, require parental notification for minors seeking abortions, and pass a bill now stalled in the Statehouse that would largely ban abortion after 20 weeks.
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“We’re preparing for either scenario, whether there is a Mikie Sherrill governor or Jack Ciattarelli is elected governor,” said Kaitlyn Wojtowicz, executive director of Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey. “We could face some really grave issues with Jack Ciattarelli as governor … to us, this is one of the most consequential elections of, I will say, my lifetime, when it comes to what the future of reproductive health care access can look like in New Jersey, especially with the threats at the federal level.”
President Donald Trump and his administration have moved to block Medicaid funds from Planned Parenthood, pardoned antiabortion activists charged with federal crimes for blocking access to clinics, and threatened access to birth control, among other things.
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Sherrill has been a steadfast supporter of abortion rights, appearing at rallies and press conferences to advocate for reproductive rights, introducing legislation in Congress to protect abortion and IVF access for military women, and consistently voting to maintain abortion access.
Asked by the New Jersey Monitor if she supports any restrictions on the procedure, she said: “This is a decision that should be made between a woman and her doctor.”
“I’m in favor of choice,” she said.
Sherrill voted twice in favor of the Women’s Health Protection Act, which ultimately failed but would have codified the abortion rights enshrined in Roe v. Wade. If elected governor, Sherrill said she would move to include abortion rights in the state constitution.
“Jack wants an abortion ban. He’s also in favor of defunding Planned Parenthood. All of these things that can lead to worse and worse health for women in our state,” Sherrill said. “I think what we really need is a constitutional protection, so it doesn’t matter who’s governor, women are protected in our state.”
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But Ciattarelli has also said he supports repealing the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, the 2022 state law that codified abortion rights here, and passing the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, a bill that has been introduced every legislative session since 2016 that would ban abortion after 20 weeks except in cases of rape or incest or if the mother’s life is endangered. New Jersey is one of nine states that allow abortion at any point of gestation, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights.
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He also has echoed the Trump administration’s calls to defund Planned Parenthood, saying he opposes using public funds for abortion and would redirect that money to antiabortion pregnancy centers. The Murphy administration remains locked in a legal battle with a group of these centers, which have challenged a state investigation into whether they use deceptive advertising to lure pregnant patients who may be considering abortion.
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Wojtowicz said undecided voters need only look back to former Gov. Chris Christie’s tenure for a reminder of what New Jersey could look like under Ciattarelli. Christie repeatedly vetoed family planning funding, which drove at least six clinics to close. Beyond abortion, such clinics also offer patients screening for sexually transmitted infections and cancer, as well as preventative services including birth control, Wojtowicz said.
“We’ve been here before, and we know what we could expect under a Ciattarelli governorship. It would be devastating for public health,” she said.
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EMILYs List, the nation’s largest resource for women in politics, works to elect Democratic pro-choice women up and down the ballot and across the country with a goal of fighting for our rights and our communities. Over 40 years, EMILYs List has raised nearly $950 million to help Democratic women win competitive elections by recruiting and training candidates, supporting and helping build strong campaigns, researching the issues that impact women and families, running one of the most impactful independent expenditure operations for Democrats, and turning out women voters to the polls. Since our founding in 1985, we have helped elect the country’s first woman as vice president, 192 women to the House, 29 to the Senate, 20 governors, and over 1,600 women to state and local office. More than 40% of the candidates EMILYs List has helped elect to Congress have been women of color. Visit www.emilyslist.org for more information.
