New Hampshire House Judiciary Committee 107 North Main Street
Concord, NH 03301
February 10, 2022
RE: Support HB 1674
New Hampshire Section
Dear Chairman Gordon, VChairman McLean, and members of the Committee:
The New Hampshire Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) is our state’s leading group of physician experts in obstetric and gynecologic care. Our members dedicate their careers and lives to providing evidence-based care, delivered with quality, safety, integrity, and compassion. As such, ACOG New Hampshire strongly supports HB 1674, which would protect an individual’s right to access abortion without undue government interference.
This legislation would take a vital step to protect access to health care and self-determination for the people of New Hampshire. In the face of political attempts in our state and across the country that seek to undermine, impede, and render this care inaccessible, the stakes continue to get higher
Abortion is an essential component of comprehensive reproductive health care. The consequences of being unable to obtain an abortion profoundly impact a person’s life, health, and well-being. Abortion, although legal, is increasingly out of reach because of government-imposed restrictions targeting women, physicians, and other clinicians who provide obstetric and gynecologic care. The access divide threatens to grow starker should federal constitutional protections be eliminated or undermined, and it is imperative that our state take action now. We can and must put the health and lives of our fellow New Hampshirites first, and establish protections for reproductive freedom in our state.
Like all medical matters, decisions regarding reproductive health care should be made by patients in consultation with their health care providers and without undue interference by outside parties. Like all patients, people obtaining abortion are entitled to privacy, dignity, respect, and support. Unimpeded access to the full range of quality, safe care across the spectrum is integral to the health of the individuals, families, and communities in our state. We strongly urge support of HB 1674.
Respectfully,
Officers of the New Hampshire Section of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
For additional information, see the following ACOG resources:
ACOG Committee Opinion 815, Increasing Access to Abortion ACOG Statement of Policy, Global Women's Health and Rights