Senators Carson, Gannon, French, Whitley, Kahn and Horgan
SB 399
Repeal of the 24 week abortion ban and the mandatory ultrasound prior to any abortion.
I have been an obstetrician gynecologist for 33 years. I have practiced in New Hampshire since 1998. The abortion ban and the mandatory ultrasound add stress and complexity to an already complex and stressful situation. To force a patient to leave this state to get compassionate care is cruel. Abortion bans interfere with the doctor patient relationship. A person going through a complex medical problem should be able to access the care they need from their doctor in their state. Bans do not make abortions go away it just makes them difficult to obtain and it puts the burden of finding that care on a patient who is going through an incredibly difficult time.
Please consider the pregnant patient who is fully human and deserves to have bodily autonomy and to make their own medical care decisions surrounding pregnancy. Medical care must be guided by sound science and by each individual needs-not legislative restrictions. Laws should not limit the ability of New Hampshire patients to get the reproductive health services that they need and that take medical decisions out of the hands of physicians and their patients.
Ellen M Joyce MD, FACOG
Assistant Professor Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine