Bipartisan Majority of the New Hampshire House Rejects Four Anti-Women’s Health Bills
 

Concord, NH - The New Hampshire House of Representatives stopped four dangerous bills aimed at limiting women's access to reproductive health care. In doing so, the House has upheld New Hampshire’s long-standing bipartisan support of protecting privacy when it comes to women's medical decisions. None of these bills will proceed to the New Hampshire Senate.

“We applaud the bipartisan majority of the New Hampshire House for protecting women’s health and safety today by rejecting four dangerous bills that would have put roadblocks between women and the health care they need,” said Kayla Montgomery, Director of Advocacy and Organizing for Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund. “These bills all had one main purpose - to make it harder for women to access safe, legal abortion. These attacks are out of touch with the majority of New Hampshire voters who support access to reproductive health care. While we will continue to have extreme legislators who will try to roll back the clock on reproductive rights, at Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund we will not back down from these attacks on women’s health.”

Each bill that was defeated was sponsored by an extreme member of the New Hampshire House whose goal was to disrupt and intervene in private patient/provider relationships and attempt to prevent a woman from making her own personal, private decisions about her health and medical care.  

Bills voted on:

HOUSE BILL 1680-FN: AN ACT relative to abortions after viability. Bill was tabled by a vote of 170 to 163.

HOUSE BILL 1707-FN: AN ACT relative to information regarding abortion. Bill was voted Interim Study on a voice vote.

HOUSE BILL 1721-FN: AN ACT relative to coercive abortion. Bill was voted Inexpedient to Legislate by a vote of 237-100.

HOUSE BILL 1787-FN: AN ACT relative to the rights of conscience for medical professionals. Bill was voted Inexpedient to Legislate by a vote of 218-109. HB 1787 was voted down on Thursday, March 15.

Dozens of women’s health supporters came to the State House to show their opposition to this dangerous package of legislation and speak with their own state representatives about why they opposed these measures.

Background:

HOUSE BILL 1680-FN: AN ACT relative to abortions after viability. This bill would have banned certain abortions, and included a disciplinary action on providers. Achieving the best possible outcomes in extremely complex pregnancies depends on the outstanding efforts of highly trained physicians, nurses, and nurse practitioners. This legislation targeted medical experts who have to make high-stress, real time decisions and and would have imposed restrictions on women's personal - and often medically necessary - health care decisions.

HOUSE BILL 1707-FN: AN ACT relative to information regarding abortion. This bill would have created a 24-hour waiting period before obtaining an abortion, which would put up additional barriers to care, particularly for women in rural areas and low income women.

HOUSE BILL 1721-FN: AN ACT relative to coercive abortion. This bill was premised on inaccurate information and findings, created unnecessary obstacles to abortion care, and used language that shames women. This bill would have required additional prior screening of patients seeking an abortion, which is unnecessary because independent and informed consent is standard medical care, and abortion is no exception.

HOUSE BILL 1787-FN: AN ACT relative to the rights of conscience for medical professionals. This bill mandated that health care providers who object to providing abortion, sterilization, or the prescribing of contraception could not be held liable for their objections, even if it resulted in harm or death to a woman. This bill would have created hardships on health care institutions and barriers to timely care, by forcing medical employers to continue to employ someone who was fundamentally opposed to and refused to perform certain healthcare services provided by that employer.

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Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) is the largest provider of reproductive and sexual health care for women, men and teens across the State of New Hampshire. We serve New Hampshire residents through 6 health centers in Claremont, Derry, Exeter, Keene, Manchester and White River Junction, VT. Last year we saw more than 11,000 patients at these sites.

Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund (PPNHAF) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in New Hampshire. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.