Our Issues

Reproductive Health, Rights, and Justice

According to SisterSong, a pioneering and leading reproductive justice organization led by communities of color, reproductive justice is the "human right to maintain personal bodily autonomy, have children, not have children, and parent the children we have in safe and sustainable communities." While Thrive NJ itself is not a reproductive justice organization, we do our work through a framework or lens of reproductive justice and strive to address the multiple intersecting barriers and oppressions that individuals face in their daily lives.

Comparatively, the term "reproductive health" emphasizes the accessibility of necessary health care services.  "Reproductive rights" focuses on gaining legal protection for those services.

On October 2, 2020, Thrive NJ partners joined Governor Phil Murphy, Lieutenant Governor Sheila Oliver, First Lady Tammy Murphy, Senate Majority Leader Loretta Weinberg, and Assemblywoman Valerie Vainieri Huttle to introduce the Reproductive Freedom Act, a bill to protect and expand access to reproductive health care in New Jersey.

Sex Education

​Young people deserve to have the information, resources, and skills they need to protect their health and build their future — without shame or judgment. Sex education can equip young people with the skills they need for a lifetime of good health, including the ability to have healthy relationships, make decisions for themselves, think critically about the world, be a good ally to those who are marginalized, and love themselves for who they are.

In New Jersey, we know a lot of great sex education is being provided, but we also know that sex education can be underfunded, not prioritized, and often politicized. Based on the findings of New Jersey’s Sex Ed Report Card, there are multiple areas for improvement.

Menstrual Equity

Menstruation is a natural bodily function. There should be no shame or stigma attached to periods or the methods utilized to take care of one’s needs. Safe, quality period products should be made available and accessible in a non-stigmatizing manner to ALL menstruating individuals in New Jersey.
 
We are working to increase access for vulnerable populations in New Jersey, these include (but is not limited to) students, the homeless and the incarcerated.  Our current efforts are centered around ensuring that period products are available and accessible in a non-stigmatizing manner, free of charge to ALL menstruating individuals in ALL public schools in New Jersey.

Economic Justice

Economic justice refers to the principles that guide us in designing our economic institutions. The institutions in return determine how each person earns a living, services with others, and ultimately produces an independent foundation for a person’s economic sustenance. Economic justice issues can include welfare reform, livable wages, job discrimination, pay equity, housing, social security, and pension reform among others.

Immigration Rights

No one’s health or well-being should be compromised because of their immigration status. All people, regardless of where they come from, deserve access to high-quality, affordable health care and a safe environment for their families to live healthy and meaningful lives.

Too often, poverty, language barriers, lack of transportation, the risk of detention and deportation, or a belief that no providers serve undocumented immigrants interfere with access to health needs in these communities. We need policy that eliminates the fear of deportation, and which allows both equal opportunity to access health care and full legal presence in the U.S. with a pathway to citizenship.

Legislation

S1761 - Address Confidentiality Program
Signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on 7/19/19

A5823 - Voting Rights Expansion
Signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on 12/18/19

A4743 - Expanding Access to Driver's Licenses
Signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on 12/19/19

A5802 - State Support for Title X Services
Signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy on 1/2/20

A3979 - "Dignity for Incarcerated Primary Caretaker Parents Act"
Passed Assembly and Senate on 12/16/19​

A5509 - Expansion of Medicaid Coverage for Breastfeeding Support
Passed Assembly on 6/20/19; Passed Senate on 12/16/19

A5860 - Expanding Sexual Assault Orders in Other Languages
Passed Assembly on 12/12/19

A5703 - Human Trafficking Training for Transit Workers
Passed Assembly on 12/16/19
info@thrive-nj.org