Assemblyman Avi Schnall (D-30) broke ranks with Democratic leadership on Tuesday to vote against Assembly Bill 2218 due to concerns about its potential impacts on free speech and religious liberty in New Jersey.
Voting against your own party in the New Jersey Legislature is extraordinarily rare. Leadership expects loyalty, and legislators who break ranks often do so at a cost. For Schnall, the decision came after consultations with the Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of America.

The bill is intended to shield patients and health care providers from legal consequences for reproductive health care activity. The bill had been revised before its final vote, with some of its most troubling language removed after pushback from religious and civil liberties advocates.

The remaining language was broad enough that it could realistically be used to target religious expression, faith-based counseling, and protected speech, which is deeply concerning for many residents of the 30th district

Schnall’s constituents in Lakewood and the surrounding communities were strongly opposed to the legislation. Representing them meant going up against his own party, against leadership pressure, and against the way things almost always work in Trenton. He did it anyway, standing on moral and religious conviction to guide him.