New Jersey governor promoted abortion on Christmas Eve

New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy celebrated Christmas Eve by announcing millions of dollars in new funding for abortion.

Key Takeaways:

• Murphy announced that he would be spending $22.325 million through the Reproductive Health Access Fund (RHAF) to promote abortion.

• The press release came on Christmas Eve, just before one of Christianity's holiest days.

• Abortion activists have frequently tried to hijack Christmas to promote abortion.

The Details:

In his press release, Murphy announced the abortion funding, with the goal of ensuring abortion remains easily accessible in New Jersey. Making the announcement even more perverse is that it was made on Christmas Eve — the night before millions of people around the globe celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ.

“Since the onset of my Administration, we have made it a priority to not only empower choice in the reproductive decision-making process, but also to strengthen our reproductive health care delivery system. Through strategic investments and targeted initiatives, we are working to provide safety-net family planning services, upgrade facilities, and grow the reproductive health care workforce,” Murphy said. “While states across the nation move to restrict access to reproductive health care services and changing federal policies by the Trump Administration jeopardize the accessibility and affordability of health care access, New Jersey is determined to navigate emerging challenges to continue the positive momentum we have built over the past eight years.”

Murphy made it clear earlier in 2025 that New Jersey would remain ardently pro-abortion, allocating over $50 million for "reproductive rights" in the state, including to stockpile mifepristone, the abortion pill.

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Yet choosing to promote his abortion initiatives on Christmas Eve, a time when the world was celebrating birth and life, is beyond the pale.

Zoom Out:

Christmas has often been used as a hotspot for abortion activists to target, choosing to promote death on a day meant to honor life.

One of the most notorious examples is the TV show "Scandal." In 2015, a Christmas episode aired in which the plot not only promoted Planned Parenthood, but also showed the main character, Olivia Pope, getting an abortion while "Silent Night" played in the background. A monologue also played over the scene, saying:

 "You think you’re better off with people who rely on you, depend on you, but you’re wrong, because you will inevitably end up needing them, which makes you weak, pliable. Family doesn’t complete you. It destroys you."

While the abortion scene itself was heavily sanitized — there was no blood or pain — it was still deeply disturbing, with Pope smiling serenely as her preborn baby was killed. Afterward, she sat by a Christmas tree drinking wine, while "Ave Maria" played.

Another example is the parody video "Lies Actually." Created by Lizz Winstead, who co-created "The Daily Show," the video parodies the Christmas film "Love Actually." In it, a Christmas caroler shows up at a pro-life politician's house with signs defending Planned Parenthood, concluding with the woman giving the politician two middle fingers, and a sign that read "Merry F***ing Christmas."

Yet again, "Silent Night" was playing in the background.

The Bottom Line:

Murphy's decision to promote abortion on Christmas Eve has been roundly criticized by pro-life advocates.

"On Christmas Eve — a night that honors the gift of life — New Jersey Governor Murphy will long be remembered as a governor who chose to champion a culture of death," Marie Tasy, executive director of New Jersey Right to Life, said in a statement, adding, "Instead of pausing to reflect on the loss of life, Governor Murphy’s insatiable desire to pursue policies designed to drive that number [of abortions] even higher is profoundly repulsive."