New Jersey weighs ending out-of-pocket costs for women who seek abortions

New Jersey's Democratic-led state government is considering legislation that would eliminate out-of-pocket costs for abortion

TRENTON, N.J. -- Dawn Ericksen was struggling with an opioid addiction a dozen years ago when she got pregnant and realized she couldn’t keep herself safe, much less a baby. Working part-time, she couldn't afford the hundreds of dollars she would need for an abortion and had to turn to a trusted friend to help cover the costs.

Ericksen, a 43-year-old attorney from southern New Jersey who has been sober for 10 years, is now speaking out about her experience because she thinks women's voices need to be heard.

“I knew it was the right choice for me. But at the same time, that doesn’t mean I want to shout it from the rooftops and tell everybody, hey, I’m in a tough position,” she said. “It wasn’t easy to kind of come hat in hand, so to speak, and say ‘This is something I need help with.’ It’s a very vulnerable place to be.”

Experiences like Ericksen's are at the center of a renewed effort by New Jersey's Democratic-led Legislature and governor, Phil Murphy, to bar women from having to pay out-of-pocket costs to get an abortion. New Jersey is among a group of Democratic-led states that are moving to reduce the barriers to abortion, even as many conservative states have been severely restricting a woman's right to end her pregnancy since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

New Jersey and nine other states require health insurers to cover abortion services, but it is the only state among that group that doesn't bar out-of-pocket costs, according to KFF, a nonprofit that researches health care issues. In the governor's annual address this month, Murphy called for an end to such costs.