Professional-Abortion Blogger Jessica Valenti Lied. Here is the Reality
In her May 19 Substack column, “Abortion, Every Day,” Jessica Valenti misrepresented my testimony before the New Jersey Assembly Health Committee. Worse yet, she falsely implied that I support harassment or intimidation of women.
First, I was not interviewed. I delivered oral testimony before the New Jersey Assembly Health Committee on May 14, 2026, opposing the Senate Committee Substitute for S2260 (now designated A2218). Audio of that testimony is publicly available on the New Jersey Legislature website for anyone willing to listen to what was actually said rather than rely on selective and misleading summaries. Ms. Valenti, whose hatred for pro-lifers is boundless, couldn’t be bothered.
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Second, I never said — nor do I believe — that anyone has a constitutional right to intimidate or harass women. In fact, my testimony explicitly stated:
“New Jersey Right to Life opposes violence, threats, harassment, and obstruction against any individual or facility. Existing New Jersey law already prohibits assault, harassment, trespass, stalking, and obstruction of access. Those laws are appropriate and should remain in place.”
Those are my actual words.
What I did argue is that the bill’s vague and expansive language — including terms like “interference” and “intimidation” — threatens constitutionally protected speech by creating uncertainty about what peaceful public advocacy could be treated as unlawful.
Is that concern extreme or novel?
Hardly. The U.S. Supreme Court has repeatedly recognized First Amendment protections for peaceful sidewalk counseling on public sidewalks.
In my testimony, I described such activity accurately as “quiet, non-violent… peaceful conversations, prayer, offering literature, and sharing information about pregnancy resources.” Conflating peaceful outreach with harassment is intellectually dishonest and appears designed to delegitimize viewpoints Valenti dislikes.
Women facing difficult pregnancies deserve more than slogans and political narratives. They deserve truthful information, genuine support, and the freedom to hear alternatives. Efforts to portray compassionate outreach as “intimidation” do not protect women. Rather they silence dissent which is their intent.
New Jersey already has laws against assault, harassment, trespass, stalking, and obstruction. Those laws can and should be enforced. What this bill does instead is introduce vague standards that risk chilling protected speech while simultaneously overriding parental rights and disregarding the laws of other states.
Moreover, New Jersey is already one of the most aggressive pro-abortion states in the country. A2218 is only the latest in a long string of attempts to muffle pro-life voices.
Reasonable people can debate abortion policy. They should not distort testimony or falsely attribute beliefs to others in order to win that debate.
LifeNews.com Note: Marie Tasy is the executive director of New Jersey Right to Life.
