New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill signed legislation Thursday creating new civil and criminal penalties for people who protest, obstruct or interfere with patients seeking abortion services at healthcare facilities in the state.
The bill, S2260/A2218, makes it a crime to injure, threaten, intimidate or physically block patients or healthcare providers accessing abortion services. It also creates provisions allowing patients to sue individuals who interfere with their abortions or gender transition procedures.
The legislation targets activities occurring near abortion clinics, including what supporters call "anti-abortion harassment" and critics describe as "peaceful demonstrations."
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic lawmakers and reproductive rights advocates praised the legislation as a necessary expansion of patient protections. State Sen. Teresa Ruiz (D-Newark), who sponsored the bill, said it fills gaps in existing law that allowed what she described as "systematic intimidation" of patients seeking legal medical care.
Planned Parenthood New Jersey released a statement saying the law ensures "patients can access reproductive healthcare without fear of harassment or violence." The organization noted that clinic workers and patients have faced increased safety concerns since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Abortion rights groups argued that sidewalk counselors, who often pray and display anti-abortion messages near clinics, crossed legal lines when they followed, recorded or physically blocked patients attempting to enter facilities. The new civil cause of action allows victims of such interference to seek damages in court.
What the Right Is Saying
Religious liberty advocates and anti-abortion groups argue the law infringes on First Amendment rights to free speech and free exercise of religion. The Thomas More Society, a legal organization representing pro-life activists, called the legislation "constitutionally suspect" and said it would criminalize prayer and peaceful witness.
Father Peter Clark, director of the New Jersey Pro-Life Council, said in an interview with local media that sidewalk counselors provide what he described as "life-affirming alternatives" to women facing difficult decisions. He argued many volunteers would stop their outreach efforts rather than risk lawsuits under the new statute.
Conservative legal scholars noted that existing federal law already prohibits violence and physical obstruction at reproductive health clinics through the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act (FACE Act). They questioned whether additional state-level criminal provisions were necessary or whether this legislation targets speech-based activities protected under the First Amendment.
What the Numbers Show
New Jersey reported 14 documented incidents of clinic harassment or obstruction in 2025, according to data compiled by the Abortion Defense League. Nationally, the National Abortion Federation recorded 4,400 incidents of anti-abortion violence, threats and stalking against abortion providers and patients between 2020 and 2024.
The FACE Act, passed by Congress in 1994, established federal criminal penalties for clinic violence and obstruction. The Department of Justice has brought approximately 25 cases under the statute in the past five years, with convictions resulting in sentences ranging from probation to 11 months in federal prison.
New Jersey is one of 16 states with additional state-level protections for abortion access following the 2022 Supreme Court decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which overturned the constitutional right to abortion established by Roe v. Wade.
The Bottom Line
The new law represents an expansion of both criminal penalties and civil remedies available to patients and providers who experience interference at New Jersey abortion facilities. Supporters say it addresses gaps they argue federal law does not cover, while opponents are expected to challenge its constitutionality in court.
Legal observers will watch for how courts balance the state's interest in protecting healthcare access against First Amendment protections for peaceful protest and religious expression near public facilities. The law takes effect 90 days after signing.