New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy has included a $2 million incentive program in his new budget proposal to draw "reproductive healthcare providers" to the Garden State, according to Catholic News Agency.
Murphy's remarks on the 2026 budget indicate the initiative was designed to appeal to abortion providers in pro-life states, saying the program would bring reproductive healthcare providers to New Jersey who have been "targeted by politicians elsewhere."
"I will certainly never back down from defending women — and protecting their access to reproductive healthcare and, especially, their right to an abortion," Murphy said on Tuesday. "Those folks in Washington can try and push their anti-choice agenda on us. But as long as I am governor, they will fail."
With the 2026 budget, the governor declared that his administration was "going to make the largest investment into protecting reproductive rights in our state's history by fully funding women's healthcare."
"Since my first budget, we have quadrupled funding for reproductive healthcare services," he said. "And our budget will build upon this progress by launching a new OB-GYN incentive program. With this program, we are going to attract doctors and medical professionals from across the nation to come and join us in the Garden State."
During his State of the State address in January, Murphy also promised to stockpile abortion-inducing medications.
In a statement, Planned Parenthood Action Fund of New Jersey called Murphy's commitment to funding reproductive healthcare services "both commendable and essential."
"At a time when federal funding for states is uncertain, Governor Murphy has taken a bold stand to protect the health and well-being of New Jersey residents," PPAFNJ Senior Vice President of Public Affairs Kaitlyn Wojtowicz said. "His proposed budget reflects a clear understanding of the importance of reproductive healthcare as a fundamental right and a critical component of both public health and the state's economic viability."
"We are particularly grateful for the continued investment in programs that support essential reproductive healthcare services and education and the announcement of a new program to attract reproductive health providers who want to move to New Jersey, so they can provide healthcare without government interference," she added.
New Jersey Right to Life Executive Director Marie Tasy said that "Murphy has already worked overtime to expand 'reproductive freedom'" and pointed to approximately 59,700 abortions that were performed in the state in 2023 after he signed the Reproductive Freedom Act.
"The lives of 59,700 future New Jersey citizens extinguished in just one year weighs heavy on our hearts, as does every single abortion," Tasy said in a statement. "If we acknowledge that every abortion is a tragedy, what can we say about 59,700 in one year? We will never know what these precious lives might have contributed to our state, our society, and our communities, but what we do know is that abortion does not equal progress for women."