Description of the Bill
Health advocacy targets promoting policies that improve the population’s health by supporting better health outcomes. State governments have a responsibility before their residents to promote and support the population’s well-being. To assist individuals from all groups and communities, it is necessary to introduce timely and equitable measures that regulate or support the healthcare system.
The state of New Jersey understands and embraces its duty before the people, attempting to encourage and support individuals’ ability to live healthy, fulfilling lives. To better understand New Jersey’s legislative sphere, it is possible to explore an example of a specific bill. Bill A6260, introduced last to the congress body on January 2022, seeks to protect the reproductive choice of women in the state (“NJ legislature,” n.d.). While reproductive health is not the field people consider when new health policies are made, reproductive health policies are a tool for spreading a specific view on human freedoms and capabilities.
Integration of Concepts Through Bill Approval
Population Health
In approving this bill, the NJ government contributes to the goals of health advocacy by creating a safer environment for the population’s health and challenging public opinion that supports abortion bans. Supporting women’s right to choose and direct their reproductive health journeys emphasizes the importance of the right to privacy. It protects the population from the harmful consequences of illegal abortions. Without proper access to abortion services, women are faced with the risks of injuries from illegal abortions and negative mental health outcomes (“Restricting access to abortion likely to lead to mental health harms, APA asserts,” 2022). Therefore, the decision of the New Jersey government works as a tool for safeguarding citizens. Putting a practice or a service under legal protection can also be seen as a form of advocacy.
Advocacy
In this context, advocacy primarily refers to supporting a particular cause or validating it in the eyes of the public. How the government views a certain practice or institution can influence how ordinary citizens see an issue. The bill in question was approved by most voters in the Senate. As a result, the issue of women’s reproductive rights and autonomy may be considered as one decidedly won by the pro-choice side. In this way, government decisions work to affirm or deny publicly held sentiment, changing how it is perceived in the future. Advocating for women’s reproductive rights raises the importance of the discussion surrounding them and emphasizes that they must be protected legally. Advocacy becomes especially important in health issues, where a lack of awareness or support can potentially harm individuals, groups, and communities alike.
The ANA Ethical Statements
In addition, this type of policy-making also aligns with the ethical and moral standards followed by healthcare professionals. According to the ANA code of ethics, Nurses bring fulfillment to other people, maintain an adequate and equitable standard of care, and promote the interests of the populations involved (“Code of Ethics for Nurses,” 2017). Like nursing workers, the New Jersey government can protect people. The legal protection of reproductive rights increases the accessibility of reproductive health services and spreads awareness regarding their importance for health. This legislation plays a vital role in maintaining essential systems relating to healthcare and people’s day-to-day lives.
References
Code of ethics for nurses. (2017). ANA. Web.
NJ legislature. (n.d.). New Jersey Legislature. Web.
Restricting access to abortion likely to lead to mental health harms, APA asserts. (2022). Web.