TRENTON, N.J. – Assembly Bill 2218 has been pulled, Save Jerseyans.
The bill would have prohibited protesters from blocking access to abortion clinics and even recording someone outside of a medical facility. Moreover, health insurance companies would have been required to cover abortion and “gender transition” services.
Opponents argue that this legislation unnecessarily expands legal protections for abortion and transgender medical services while shielding controversial treatments for minors before their long-term safety and effectiveness are fully understood. They contend that the bill threatens First Amendment rights by exposing individuals engaged in lawful speech, advocacy, or protest to potential civil or criminal penalties based on subjective claims of emotional harm.
The controversial legislation was scheduled for a floor vote on Thursday.
Critics also argue that it limits the authority of professional licensing boards to oversee medical standards, undermines interstate cooperation by restricting assistance to other states enforcing their own laws, weakens parental rights by potentially facilitating medical decisions involving minors without parental involvement, and could reduce safeguards that help identify situations involving child exploitation or human trafficking.
“NJ’s insane Transgender Bill A2218, that would have put people in jail for trying to block surgeries & punished anyone disparaging doctors or hospitals has been pulled from tomorrow!” Assemblyman Paul Kanitra (R-Ocean) declared on X. “Now let’s work on something that really protects kids, focusing on the genuine underlying problems.”
In the interim, it’s been reported that the Democrat Majority’s plan is to retool the bill in the hopes of introducing an amended version later this summer:
the Assembly speaker’s office says they’re amending the bill and planning to vote on it later this month instead of Thursday as planned https://t.co/I36QgdjyOP pic.twitter.com/eBl5gxN8ly
— Terrence T. McDonald (@terrencemcd) June 10, 2026
