New Jersey looks to poach Texas health care workers with abortion-focused billboards

AUSTIN (KXAN) — A new campaign from New Jersey is taking aim at Texas’ strict abortion laws in an effort to lure medical students and health care providers to the Garden State.

The Choose New Jersey Reproductive Rights Campaign launched April 14. It includes billboards in Dallas, Fort Worth and San Antonio — all located near major medical schools and hospitals. The effort is designed to attract doctors and medical students facing restrictions on reproductive health care in southern states.

One billboard reads “New Jersey: where health care providers determine patient care, not politicians.” Another says “In New Jersey, your patients’ care is prioritized. Not compromised.”

Three of the campaign’s four billboards are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, with one placed near UT Southwestern Medical Center. Another billboard is near UT Health San Antonio. The campaign also includes a digital ad push on search platforms, social media and display ads.

The state of New Jersey is behind the campaign. Gov. Phil Murphy, a Democrat, during a budget address, also called for other ways to incentivize providers to move to the state. Proposals included efforts to defray moving costs and loan forgiveness programs for doctors and nurse practitioners willing to relocate to New Jersey.

Texas currently bans nearly all abortions, with narrow exceptions for life-threatening medical emergencies. The state’s trigger law went into effect following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The law does not provide exceptions for rape or incest and includes felony penalties for doctors who perform unauthorized procedures. A bill clarifying when doctors can perform medically necessary abortions is being discussed in the state legislature.

Using billboards to try to poach Texas talent is not anything new. In recent years, billboard campaigns have targeted law enforcement and teachers. Just last year, New Mexico also launched a campaign, including newspaper ads, targeting healthcare workers.