On Dobbs anniversary, Sherrill says she’s best choice to protect abortion

On the third anniversary of a Supreme Court decision that upended abortion access in much of the country, Rep. Mikie Sherrill highlighted her pledge to protect abortion rights in New Jersey with a group of pro-choice advocates.

The Planned Parenthood Action Fund endorsed Sherrill on Tuesday morning in a press conference joined by EMILYs List President Jessica Mackler and state Senate Majority Leader M. Teresa Ruiz.

Abortion has been a potent issue for Democrats since the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that established a constitutional right to abortion. Since the Supreme Court reversed that decision in the 2022 Dobbs decision, 19 states have banned or limited the procedure. 

New Jersey is not one of those states — the governor signed a bill solidifying access to the procedure in 2022 — but many Democrats still fear access could be rolled back under a Republican governor. Sherrill says former Assemblyman Jack Ciattarelli, the GOP nominee for governor, would do just that.

“Today marks three years since Roe was overturned in the Dobbs decision,” Sherrill said. “Before that day, we all thought our rights were safe. I grew up in a world with those protections. I was born in 1972, so I didn’t really know a world without Roe protections. And then when that decision came down, we were all horrified and we were angry, but we can’t be caught flat-footed again.”

Ciattarelli, who labels himself a pro-choice Republican, says the congresswoman’s claim is false. On his website, Ciattarelli says he supports parental notification of minors seeking an abortion and opposes the use of taxpayer funds for abortions. In the 2021 election, when he lost to Gov. Phil Murphy, the Republican said he would codify abortion rights if the Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.

“Wrong (and predictably dishonest) again, @MikieSherrill.” Ciattarelli wrote. “My pro-choice position on abortion up to 20 weeks has been clear and consistent.”

Sherrill and Ciattarelli have sparred over the appointment of justices to the New Jersey Supreme Court, which could have consequences on abortion in the state (as well as every other issue). Ciattarelli has said he would appoint conservatives to the state’s high court; in a social media post, Sherrill said those judges would be anti-abortion. Ciattarelli said his appointees would be “focused” on education and affordability.

“My Supreme Court justices will be focused on the disastrous school funding formula and mandated ‘affordable’ housing — two more ultra liberal policies you don’t want to talk about because you’re Murphy 2.0,” Ciattarelli wrote.

Sherrill also argues that Ciattarelli’s close ties to President Donald Trump could undermine abortion rights in the state. She criticized Ciattarelli’s statement that he would not sue the Trump White House and said he supported budgets that defunded Planned Parenthood.

“As governor, I’m committed to defending abortion rights and access to reproductive care, and with the help of providers and advocates across the state we’re going to defeat Jack and protect our freedom in New Jersey,” she said.