New Jersey Governor Mike Sherrill signed a bill on Aug. 20 that many fear will be used to undermine the First Amendment and prohibit Americans from praying outside abortion facilities.  

 According to the Catholic News Agency, the bill will implement a sort of “bubble” zone around reproductive health centers. It “criminalizes ‘interference’ with ‘reproductive’ or ‘gender-affirming’ care,” as well as “inflicting ‘emotional harm’ against those seeking or providing ‘reproductive health care services.’ It also bans filming and sharing videos within 100 feet of an abortion clinic.”  

 And violations carry a hefty punishment — up to a year and a half in jail or up to $10,000 in fines.  

 Pro-life advocates across America are sounding the alarm over this bill, which eerily brings to mind similar legislation that has been used to arrest individuals for silently praying in the U.K. Many rightly suspect that the law is intended to muzzle and intimidate pro-life advocates, including those who merely pray peacefully outside abortion clinics. 

 Unfortunately, this is not the first time that New Jersey has waged war on the pro-life cause. The former attorney general of New Jersey, Matt Platkin, came under fire earlier this year when he tried to undermine the First Amendment rights of the courageous women at First Choice Women’s Health Center.  

 These women had done nothing wrong; instead, they had spent years peacefully administering to women and children in need. Yet because they didn’t offer or refer for abortion, Platkin leveled a smear campaign against them. His lawsuit alleged that they misled donors in a pathetic attempt to unmask and intimidate the good people supporting First Choice. Thankfully, Platkin’s lawfare ultimately failed when the Supreme Court found it unconstitutional.  

 Yet New Jersey’s war on women continues. The state’s hostility to life and desperation to muzzle those with viewpoints it disagrees with should concern all Americans — regardless of their opinions on abortion itself. 

 In fact, it’s Orwellian that New Jersey’s law gives officers who may have their own political agenda the authority to determine whether a gathering “impedes access to or departure from” an abortion facility and therefore order its “immediate dispersal.” The arbitrary nature of the law raises additional concerns that authorities could unfairly arrest and prosecute those peacefully praying or sidewalk counseling in a respectful manner.  

 New Jersey has made it clear it has no respect for the dignity of life, much less women in the state who staff or frequent pregnancy resource centers. Pro-life advocates should learn from New Jersey’s example and fight similar legislation that will undoubtedly appear in other states.