Exclusive – Rep. Chris Smith Says New Jersey Governor's Abortion Expansion Law a ‘Human Rights Abuse’

Dr. Susan BerryJanuary 14, 2022

In an exclusive interview with Breitbart News, Congressional Pro-Life Caucus Co-Chair Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) condemned as a “human rights abuse” New Jersey’s new abortion expansion law that allows abortion even up until the moment of birth.

Smith said Friday in a phone interview that Gov. Phil Murphy (D-NJ) is now “the abortion governor.”

Regardless of whether or not the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade, New Jersey’s position in supporting the right to reproductive choice will remain clear and unchanged.https://t.co/WChMjALnV6 pic.twitter.com/zAPl5br7WR

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) January 13, 2022

Today, I signed historic legislation to protect reproductive freedom in New Jersey – codifying the right to choose into state law and expanding contraception coverage.

In New Jersey, we trust each individual person to make their reproductive choices for themselves. pic.twitter.com/5fOb6azXIa

— Governor Phil Murphy (@GovMurphy) January 13, 2022

“During the height of the pandemic, he ordered that all the abortion clinics get to stay open,” Smith noted about Murphy. “But necessary surgeries, including for cancer and other work were delayed or put off limits during the worst of the COVID crisis. What a revelation of priorities that was.”

Smith expressed his outrage at the celebratory signing ceremony Murphy conducted Thursday with the CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Alexis McGill Johnson, at his side.

“I mean, this is an outrageous piece of legislation,” Smith railed about New Jersey’s Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act. “It totally dehumanizes unborn children and makes them persona non grata. It will lead to even more abortions going forward.”

The congressman continued the “no-limits piece of legislation” will lead to many children “dying a painful death.”

As the Supreme Court continues to threaten Roe V. Wade, more states will have to pass laws to protect access to reproductive health care and defend a woman’s right to choose.

Today, @GovMurphy signed legislation to do just that. https://t.co/t7Lmi46MLz

— Rep. Frank Pallone (@FrankPallone) January 13, 2022

As the primary sponsor in the House of the Pain-Capable Unborn Child Protection Act, legislation that seeks to ban abortions once an unborn child can experience pain, Smith said, “We know about the pain and the suffering as that dismemberment abortion … imposes horrific pain on a baby, on that little girl, that little boy.”

Murphy, he said, “has just given the total legal green light to dismember children and chemically poison children.”

“There’s a great number of scientists that are recognizing after prenatal surgeries, that, even at age 15 weeks, they make sure they anesthetize the baby to assist the baby,” he said, noting, however, that abortionists “have absolutely no compassion for the baby.”

“And Murphy has now put the full weight of our state government, our state law, on the side of the abortionist, so it’s deeply troubling,” Smith continued. “I mean, this is a human rights abuse.”

Murphy said as he celebrated the signing of the legislation:

With Roe v. Wade under attack, today’s historic legislation makes clear that New Jersey’s position in supporting the right to reproductive choice remains protected. Together, with expanding contraception coverage, these two pieces of legislation serve to meaningfully and tangibly increase access to reproductive health care, and ensure that New Jersey residents are now, and will remain, in control of their reproductive choices.

But Smith asserted that while “birth is an event that happens to all of us, it’s not the beginning of life, and for him to refuse, and those members of the General Assembly and state Senate to refuse to recognize, especially in the era of ultrasound, the humanity of that girl and that little boy before birth, is appalling.”

The pro-life lawmaker observed Murphy’s outspoken support of the abortion industry throughout his election campaigns and first days of office.

“He reversed Chris Christie’s ban on funding Planned Parenthood immediately upon coming into office four years ago, and now to put forward and to sign, because he initiated and pushed it very hard through the legislature, an abortion on demand act that parallels what Gov. Cuomo did, and also the sentiments of the governor of Virginia,” he decried.

Historic day in NJ: @GovMurphy signed into law bills that protect our right to abortion & expand access to birth control. Proud to be joined for this momentous occasion by Planned Parenthood Action Fund President @alexismcgill!

Thank @GovMurphy today: https://t.co/bYi0JldTHP pic.twitter.com/nD6qyWmygi

— PlannedParenthoodNJ (@PPActionNJ) January 13, 2022

In 2018, Murphy signed a bill passed by Democrats in the legislature to allow taxpayer funds to be used for family planning grants to Planned Parenthood.

Each year of former Gov. Chris Christie’s (R) administration, New Jersey’s Democrat-led legislature appropriated funding for Planned Parenthood, but Christie vetoed it, and redirected that funding to other federally qualified healthcare centers that do not perform abortions.

Murphy campaigned on restoring Planned Parenthood’s funding and received the abortion giant’s endorsement.

Planned Parenthood’s Johnson applauded Murphy’s signature on the legislation.

“Today is a historic day for reproductive health in the Garden State,” she said, adding:

We are grateful for the constant advocacy by the governor, legislative champions, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey, the Thrive New Jersey Coalition, and more to ensure the state met the moment and secured access to essential health care in the state. At a time when access to reproductive health care is under attack across the country, New Jersey has shown what it means to stand up for its residents. Planned Parenthood is eager to continue working to ensure that abortion is not only a right, but accessible for all New Jerseyans, regardless of their immigration status, insurance coverage, or income.

Today is a big day for reproductive health in New Jersey! Today, we celebrate as the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act codifies abortion rights into state law. Though we know our fight is far from over, we will continue to fight to protect and expand access — together. https://t.co/4ucWeKvpaL

— Alexis McGill Johnson (@alexismcgill) January 13, 2022

In a statement sent to Breitbart News, however, Students for Life Action President Kristan Hawkins also called New Jersey’s expansion of abortion rights until the moment of birth “radical.”

The law, she said, “shows a callous disregard for mothers and their preborn children, by exposing them to the deadly harms of abortion as well as to on-going sorrow.”

Hawkins condemned the new law:

Only in talking points can abortion activists pretend that abortion is more than the loss of a unique human being and a heartache for women. Apparently, the governor believes that prioritizing an end to parenthood is an accomplishment, rather than a human rights tragedy, especially for those who could have helped lead the state for years to come. The people of New Jersey need a leadership change, so that life can be protected in law.

Big Money Abortion Giant Planned Parenthood says “we demand more,” including American taxpayers footing the bill for abortions in House Democrats’ HEROES Act. https://t.co/p00UGfaUtG

— Breitbart News (@BreitbartNews) May 19, 2020

Smith pointed out that, as the national March for Life approaches next week, the pro-life movement is “all about loving” both babies and their mothers, as well as a focus on the “reconciliation process.”

“We want to help that individual woman get back on her feet,” he said.

“We want to stop the deed, the lethal deed, the irreversible deed, before it happens,” he added. “And this governor not only pays for it through state Medicaid, but also now, has authorized, made legal, no matter what the Supreme Court does, abortion on demand right until birth.”