The New Jersey state legislature gave final approval to a bill yesterday that will legalize killing babies in abortions up to birth. Governor Phil Murphy is expected to sign the measure into law this week even though he claims he’s a practicing Catholic.
As LifeNews reported, the bill will legalize abortions up to birth and allowing non-doctors to kill babies in abortions. The legislation guarantees “the fundamental right of reproductive autonomy,” even though women already have reproductive autonomy and choice prior to the decision to end a baby’s life in an abortion as reproduction has already taken place.
The radical measure also could lead to forcing New Jersey residents to fund abortions with their tax dollars. If the state Department of Banking and Insurance deems abortion funding necessary, then state residents could be compelled to pay for killing unborn children in abortions with their tax funds.
The bill also allows “all qualified health care professionals,” to conduct abortions. Although abortion advocates have said for decades that abortions should be “between a woman and her doctor,” the legislation now allows non-doctors to do abortions — putting the life and heath of women at risk.
Yesterday, Murphy said he will sign the bill this week, calling the need for killing more babies in abortions “more urgent than ever.”
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“A bill to codify a woman’s right to choose into state law and expand access to reproductive health care for all just passed both houses of the Legislature. I will sign this bill into law this week. With Roe v. Wade under attack, the need for this bill is more urgent than ever,” he said on Twitter.
The pro-life group American Life League says Murphy is violating the pro-life teachings of the Catholic Church.
New Jersey governor Phil Murphy defines himself as a person who “grew up in a family that was middle class on a good day.” According to his website, he was “the youngest of four children with only one parent who graduated high school. His upbringing—where religion, a strong work ethic, education, and civic awareness were pillars of family life—shaped his values, his priorities, and the leader he is today.”
The governor does not state in his biographical data that he is Catholic, but according to him his parents were “strict Roman Catholics and big fans of politics.”
So we did a little digging to discover whether or not Catholic principles affected this man in any way given the fact that he is a strong, public supporter of assisted suicide and Planned Parenthood, among other things. Lo and behold, Murphy claimed his Catholic identity in a tribute he and his wife wrote upon the death of Monsignor Philip Lowery, who was a pastor, a mentor, and head of chaplains for the New Jersey State Police.
So yes, even as a professed Catholic, Murphy seems to have separated himself from the teachings of the Catholic Church. This is tragic for his soul, sends a false message to the people of New Jersey, and must not go unnoticed by the bishops of the state whose flock depends on them for leadership in times such as this.
It called on the Catholic leaders in New Jersey to deny him communion.
“We prayerfully call upon the bishops of New Jersey to enforce Canon 915. We respectfully ask them to join together in a statement advising Governor Murphy that, if he does currently receive the body and blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, he may no longer receive Him until such time as he repents of his public support for the killing of the innocent and the vulnerable,” ALL said.
Murphy has been rebuked before by a Catholic bishop, when he signed a bill legalizing assisted suicide.
Bishop James Checchio of New Jersey’s Diocese of Metuchen was quick to condemn the governor’s action. Checchio described the new law as part of a “dangerous and frightening trend” and “a brazen attack against the sanctity of human life.”
Speaking before the vote, Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, asked why lawmakers want to expand abortions when New Jersey already has the highest abortion rate in the U.S., according to the report.
“Why do we want to have more?” Tasy asked, pointing to the nearly 50,000 abortions that occur in the state every year. This is a “really radical bill,” she said.
According to New Jersey Right to Life, the original bill would invalidate all current and future laws that restrict abortions and allow nurse practitioners and midwives to abort unborn babies. The pro-life organization warned that the legislation also would get rid of the 1974 state conscience clause that protects pro-life medical workers from being forced to help abort unborn babies.
New Jersey Right to Life pointed to a recent USA Today editorial by the governor and Lt. Gov. Sheila Oliver in which they admit the bill “expressly allows late term abortions” and keeps parents from being informed if their underage daughter has an abortion.
“They don’t care that the people of NJ don’t support such an extreme edict!” the pro-life organization responded.
According to NJ Advance Media, several Republicans tried to amend the bill in committee to include parental consent for minors but Democrats blocked the action.
New Jersey already has the highest abortion rate in the country and some of the most permissive pro-abortion laws.
Through a new coalition, Working Together for NJ, pro-lifers in the state have been working hard to stop the radical pro-abortion expansion, warning that it could lead to more human trafficking as well as more abortions.
It’s “a human trafficker’s best friend. Sex slaves get pregnant. Human traffickers have to pay for the abortions as a result. But this legislation will require all New Jersey taxpayers to pay for the abortions of sex trafficking victims,” said the Rev. Gregory Quinlan of Center for Garden State Families, last year.
Polls consistently show that most Americans oppose late-term abortions and taxpayer-funded abortions. A 2020 Gallup poll found that 55 percent of Americans think all or almost all abortions should be illegal, while just 29 percent think abortions should be legal under any circumstances.
ACTION ALERT: Send your complaints to Governor Murphy by going here.
