February 10, 2022
The Honorable Edward Gordon, Chair House Judiciary Committee
Legislative Office Building, Room 208 33 North State Street
Concord, NH 03301
Re: New Futures’ testimony in support of HB 1674 and HB 1673
Dear Representative Gordon and Honorable Members of the Committee:
New Futures appreciates the opportunity to testify in support of HB 1674 (relative to reproductive rights) and HB 1673 (relative to women’s health privacy and repealing the fetal health protection act). New Futures is a nonpartisan, nonprofit health policy and advocacy organization that advocates, educates, and collaborates to improve the health and wellness of all New Hampshire residents. In this role, we work extensively with policy makers, health care providers and families to increase access to quality, affordable health care and to improve health equity across the Granite State.
New Futures stands in strong support of both HB 1674 and HB 1673, as each bill would increase access to critical reproductive care for individuals and families in need. In New Hampshire and across the country, reproductive care, including abortion, is a critical element of overall health care. Data is clear that restrictions on abortion, like those currently written in state law, have significant impacts on the health and wellness of women, children and families.
Research from The Turnaway Study out of the University of California San Francisco shows that:
- Years after an abortion denial, women were more likely to not have enough money to cover basic living expenses like food, housing and transportation.
- Women who were denied an abortion and gave birth reported more life-threatening complications like eclampsia and postpartum hemorrhage compared to those who received wanted abortions.
- Women who were denied an abortion and gave birth instead reported more chronic headaches or migraines, joint pain, and gestational hypertension compared to those who had an abortion.
- Children born as a result of abortion denial are more likely to live below the federal poverty level than children born from a subsequent pregnancy to women who received the abortion.
These impacts, among many others, are shown to disproportionately affect those already facing the greatest barriers to care, including those with lower incomes, residents of rural areas, people of color, women, LGBTQ+ individuals, people with disabilities and others.
By repealing New Hampshire’s 24-week abortion ban and prohibiting similar bans into the future, HB 1674 and HB 1673 would increase access to these vital healthcare services for women and families, and they would support the health and wellness of our state. For these reasons, we ask that you support both of these bills and vote them Ought to Pass.
Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Respectfully submitted,
Jake Berry, Vice President of Policy, New Futures