Despite a full-term abortion center planned for New Jersey next summer, further cementing its status as an abortion state, the help community persists, walking alongside women in need.
New Jersey permits legal abortion until birth, though abortion providers in the Garden State perform the surgical procedure up until 28 weeks only.
All-trimester abortion provider Luminosas Wellness Collective announced earlier this year it would open in Hudson County. Dr. Kristyn Brandi and Nurse Practitioner Catherine Obando founded the abortion center and are seeking grassroots support for funding. The Luminosas website touts the abortion facility as a “light in the dark,” offering “culturally responsive services” including “all-trimester abortion care, HIV support, gender-affirming treatments” and “ushering in a new era of equitable, affirming care for all.” The new Luminosas facility will offer abortions up to 34 weeks.
New Jersey is one of a number of states where late-term abortion has been creeping up in.
[Click here to subscribe to Pregnancy Help News!]
Alaska, Vermont, Oregon, New Mexico, Colorado, Minnesota, Michigan, Maryland, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C., all have no limits on abortion, according to Abortion Finder.
In Colorado, a late term abortionist retired, but his abortion center staff fought to keep their services available for abortions beyond 28 weeks. Six months after the abortionist closed his facility, RISE Collective was ready to see clients, touting themselves as offering “all trimester abortion care.”
Two affiliated abortion facilities with the ironic term “CARE” in their name in Bellevue, Neb., and Chevy Chase, Md., offer abortions up until 35 weeks.
The also ironically named Hope Clinic opened earlier this year in Chicago offering abortion “through all trimesters” – up to 34 weeks into the pregnancy.
A young Maryland woman was offered an abortion by her obstetrician for her healthy 7 months’ gestation pregnancy owing to the stress of raising another child.
The impending Luminosas Wellness Collective abortion center adds to an already decidedly pro-abortion landscape in New Jersey.
On Nov. 4 New Jersey voters elected ardent abortion proponent Mikie Shirrell as governor, a Democrat who promises to make abortion access part of the state constitution and require insurance to cover all abortions. It is expected that if Shirell has her way she will make New Jersey an abortion destination for out-of-state women.
Democrat Rep. Josh Gottheimer of the New Jersey Fifth District conducted a press conference in front of a pregnancy help center in the state two years ago to slam pregnancy centers.
Pro-life and pregnancy help advocates met with state legislators earlier this year to educate them about pregnancy help to combat negative narratives about pregnancy help with the lawmakers.
The New Jersey legislature passed a bill this past fall issuing a “reproductive health travel advisory” for New Jersey women seeking abortions in other states.
The state’s Attorney General Matthew Platkin launched attacks against First Choice Women’s Resource Center in New Jersey in 2023, demanding names of staff and donors due to its pro-life stance. The center has won a fight for the U.S. Supreme Court to hear the case. Oral arguments are scheduled for December 2.
While the Luminosas abortion facility will be aborting unborn babies until birth beginning next summer, pregnancy help centers will still offer life-affirming alternatives for women.
Kathy Jerman, director of Affiliate Services for Heartbeat International, said the current climate in New Jersey needs to be taken seriously, and pregnancy centers in the state are the only beam of hope. Heartbeat is the largest network of pregnancy help organizations in the U.S. and the world.
“As someone who lives in the Northeast, this news hits close to home,” Jerman told Pregnancy Help News. “Both the opening of a late-term abortion clinic in New Jersey and the election of a governor who fully supports such policies emphasize the growing challenges pregnancy help organizations face in this region.”
“It also highlights the essential role our centers play,” Jerman said. “Offering compassionate care, non-judgmental support, ultrasound services, and a safe space for women to make truly informed choices.”
Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, said if the all-trimester abortion center goes forward “would leave an indelible stain on New Jersey.”
“This clinic’s stated mission is deeply perverse, making it one of the most extreme examples of the abortion industry’s lack of humanity,” Tasy said.
Like pregnancy help in other late-term abortion states, New Jersey centers stand at the frontline of the abortion battle, Jerman said.
“Heartbeat International stands firmly with our affiliates in New Jersey, across the Northeast, and around the world, as they continue to serve courageously,” Jerman said, “ensuring that in a culture that promotes abortion as the only answer, women also hear a different message: you are valued, you are not alone, and we are here for you.”
Tweet This: Heartbeat International stands firmly with its affiliates in New Jersey and around the world as they continue to serve courageously.
Editor's note: Heartbeat International manages Pregnancy Help News.
