McHOSE/CASAGRANDE/DeCROCE VOTE TO PROTECT WOMEN AND BABIES

Assemblywoman Alison Littell McHose / 973-300-0200
Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande / 732-866-1695
Assemblywoman BettyLou DeCroce / 973-884-6190
Assembly Republican Press Office / 609-847-3400

            Assembly Republicans Alison Littell McHose, Caroline Casagrande and BettyLou DeCroce voted to protect women and babies by opposing legislation that would permit legally binding agreements between donor and surrogate parents.

            “This legalizes the sale of the womb,” McHose, R-Sussex, Warren and Morris, said. “It preys upon low-income women who will not be informed of the health risks – both physical and emotional – and disregards the sacred fact that both mother and her baby are human beings, not a commodity.”

            The legislation was approved despite widespread opposition of groups such as New Jersey Right to Life and the National Organization for women.

            “This is a dangerous class warfare that benefits the wealthy at the expense of the health, safety and emotional well-being of low-income women who are desperate for cash, as well as innocent babies,” Casagrande, R-Monmouth, said. “A number of women will put their bodies through the wringer and expose themselves to all sorts of disease because they are poor, need money and some members of this Assembly decided to serve the best interests of those with the most cash.”

            The bill also ignores recommendations of the New Jersey Bioethics Commission that said gestational agreements should never be legal.

            “The bill poses the risk of developing a breeder class of women, particularly for the poor and impoverished who will be exploited by brokers who have a financial self-interest,” DeCroce, R-Morris, Passaic and Essex, said. “The National Organization for Women and Right to Life’s joint opposition is a strong signal that something is horribly wrong with this policy.”