By Christopher Binetti
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I consider myself a Democrat. However, my Party, especially in New Jersey, marginalizes pro-life liberal Democrats like myself. Governor Murphy and his radical pro-abortion allies in Trenton, such as Planned Parenthood, seek to make New Jersey more pro-death than it already is, since we already have legal physician assisted suicide, are about to legalize marijuana and hashish drug-dealing, and already have some of the loosest and most pro-abortion laws in the country.
Governor Murphy, when he ran for governor, ran on the idea that he would not expand abortion rights. His campaign even told me at the time that he opposed late-term abortion. However, I later found out that late-term abortion is already legal, until the day of birth. Even before Murphy, our Supreme Court mandated that Medicaid cover all “medically necessary” abortions, which has been defined as all legal abortions. All abortions are legal in New Jersey.
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Governor Murphy gave 20 million dollars to Planned Parenthood, which under federal law cannot directly go to abortions. However, state money goes to abortions directly through Medicaid, which can then pay Planned Parenthood and Planned Parenthood is allowed to use that money in mixed-use facilities, so that abortion clinics that are used for other purposes can be built or refurbished with state money.
So, late-term abortions are already legal up to the date of birth, abortion clinics are popping up all across the state, often in poor, black neighborhoods (Margaret Sanger was a eugenics-supporting anti-black racist when she founded what became Planned Parenthood after all), and your hard-earned tax dollars going to paying for abortions, including late-term abortions which Governor Murphy’ campaign promised that he opposed.
On top of that, Medicaid qualifications privilege abortions over most other forms of medical care, under a law insisted upon by Governor Murphy. All persons, male and female are required to meet a certain level of income, however pregnant women, including women who seek abortions, are allowed to be wealthier than all other patients and still get Medicaid. So, abortion is privileged over life-saving treatments for men, which is illegal under New Jersey’s strict gender-neutrality laws.
Now, the radical pro-abortion Governor Murphy seeks to expand abortions by forcing private insurance to cover abortions without out-of-pocket costs, but not many life-saving procedures for men or women. The abortion industry owns Governor Murphy’s soul due to donations to his campaign and demands that abortion be privileged over other forms of healthcare.
This state is a Democratic state. It will take Democrats to defeat this horrible and euphemistically named Reproductive Freedom bill. Pro-life Democrats and Republicans need to align with pro-choice Democrats and Republicans. Being pro-choice is not the same thing as being pro-abortion. Many Democrats and Republicans are pro-choice but not pro-abortion and are repulsed by Governor Murphy’s pro-death policies.
We must do more than simply stop the Reproductive Freedom law, which is akin to the expansion of slavery in the 1850’s. We must roll back the abortion industry’s power in New Jersey. We need to challenge abortion funding and we need to restrict late-term abortion. We need to hold Governor Murphy to his promise to oppose late-term abortion. We need to free persons of conscience, pro=life and pro=-choice, from being forced to support abortion financially or risk jail time, which is the current state law.
Governor Murphy has severely restricted most people’s rights in the Coronavirus pandemic. He has mandated masks on the street, even for disabled people. He has forced many people to become agoraphobes. He demands that we give up our rights for “the greater good”. However, he declared abortions, including elective abortions, to be essential services. He privileges the servants of death o everywhere, even as he has gone after the Catholic Church, because it is the only force able to stop his pro-death and pro-abortion agenda.
The physician-assisted suicide law has already claimed 12 persons’ lives. What are the chances that one of those deaths was suspicious but essentially legalized homicide under New Jersey law? A pretty strong chance I would think. This Governor has brought a cult of death upon this already pro-death state. We as Democrats need to stand up for the Catholic Church and other pro-life institutions which have been subjected to discriminatory laws to keep them too busy to fight these horrible kinds of laws.
To conclude, Democrats need to peacefully oppose this bill and to support restrictions on late-term abortion and abortion-funding. Pro-lifers and pro-choicers must come together to reclaim this state from the cult of death.
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Dr. Christopher Binetti is a political scientist, historian, pro-life activist, and adjunct professor at Middlesex County College.
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