{"id":374956,"date":"2016-03-31T21:35:56","date_gmt":"2016-04-01T02:35:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.findlaw-admin.com\/ability-law\/state\/new-jersey-law\/new-jersey-abortion-laws.html"},"modified":"2024-06-17T14:18:05","modified_gmt":"2024-06-17T19:18:05","slug":"new-jersey-abortion-laws","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.findlaw.com\/state\/new-jersey-law\/new-jersey-abortion-laws.html","title":{"rendered":"New Jersey Abortion Laws"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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New Jersey Abortion Laws<\/h1>\n
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\n By John Mascolo, Esq.<\/a> | Legally reviewed by John Mascolo, Esq.<\/a>\n | Last updated\n
\n \n <\/i>\n Legally Reviewed\n <\/summary>\n\n
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This article has been written and reviewed for legal accuracy, clarity, and style by FindLaw\u2019s team of legal writers and attorneys<\/a> and in accordance with our editorial standards<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n\n

\n \n <\/i>\n Fact-Checked\n <\/summary>\n\n
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The last updated date refers to the last time this article was reviewed by FindLaw or one of our contributing authors<\/a>. We make every effort to keep our articles updated. For information regarding a specific legal issue affecting you, please contact an attorney in your area<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n <\/div>\n <\/details>\n<\/section>\n

Abortion is legal in New Jersey throughout all stages of pregnancy.<\/p>\r\n

New Jersey Abortion Laws After <\/b>Dobbs<\/i><\/h2>\r\n

In 2022, the U.S. Supreme Court ended the constitutional right to abortion in the case of Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization<\/i><\/a>.<\/i> The Court overturned Roe v. Wade<\/i><\/a>, <\/i>its pivotal 1973 ruling that previously found that the U.S. Constitution contained a right to privacy that included decisions related to abortion.<\/p>\r\n

Although Dobbs<\/i> upheld a then fifteen-week abortion ban in Mississippi, the Supreme Court’s ruling returned to the states the power to regulate and prohibit abortion generally. As a result, Mississippi and several other states enacted stricter abortion bans in the months that followed.<\/p>\r\n

The Dobbs<\/i> decision had no immediate impact in New Jersey as a state law took effect earlier in 2022, guaranteeing pregnant persons in New Jersey the right to an abortion.<\/p>\r\n

The Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act<\/h2>\r\n

New Jersey courts have recognized<\/a> a right to privacy that includes a right to abortion under state constitutional law for decades. In 1982, the New Jersey Supreme Court invalidated a state law that denied state Medicaid funds for abortions necessary to preserve a pregnant woman’s health when procedures necessary to assist in childbirth were funded.<\/p>\r\n

In 2000, the state high court acted again. It blocked a state law<\/a> that sought to require parental involvement or consent prior to a minor’s abortion.<\/p>\r\n

In 2022, anticipating the possibility that Roe<\/i> would fall, New Jersey lawmakers passed the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act. The Act provides legal protections for abortion under state law. It recognizes an individual’s fundamental right under state law to:<\/p>\r\n