Bipartisan New Hampshire Lawmakers Reject Extreme Anti-Abortion Legislation
HB 1181 Sought to Allow Men to Petition Courts to Block Women Seeking Abortion
 

CONCORD - On Thursday, March 10, the New Hampshire House of Representatives rejected HB 1181; the bill was voted Interim Study on consent. 

HB 1181 bill was an unprecedented attack on bodily autonomy and abortion access that would have allowed any man in New Hampshire or across the country, without first proving paternity, to intervene in a pregnant person’s seeking of abortion care by petitioning the courts. Additionally, if the pregnancy is a result of rape, HB 1181 would have required the woman would need to have made this public prior to the injunction being filed by her rapist. If the pregnancy is a result of incest, HB 1181 dictated the financial burden of obtaining DNA from both parties to the pregnant woman. 

Statement from Liz Canada, Advocacy Manager for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund:

“The decision about whether and when to become a parent is one of the most important life decisions we can make. Pregnant people deserve to make these decisions for themselves, with influence from their loved ones and health care providers. 

We are encouraged that the New Hampshire House agrees our state should not allow judges, rapists, sexual partners, or even strangers to make these decisions for women. We urge state representatives to continue protecting Granite Staters’ bodily autonomy and privacy rights by rejecting additional anti-abortion attacks being considered by their chamber.”

BACKGROUND:

• PPNHAF Testimony in Opposition to HB 1181

• HB 1181: 2,760 oppose; 29 support

• HB 1181 is one of the most extreme attacks on abortion and bodily autonomy in the country. It would allow any man - without needing to prove paternity in advance - to file a petition with a New Hampshire court to prevent a pregnant person from having an abortion until the legal process concluded.
• Not only does this have problematic implications regarding bodily autonomy, it would also be logistically impossible to manage. The pregnant person must attend the hearing in person - even if they live out of state. Therefore, they may have only days to organize and arrange for travel to the proper venue.
• This bill does not require proven paternity prior to prohibiting a pregnant person from accessing abortion. The legal process could take up to a month to conclude, prohibiting the pregnant person from accessing abortion during that time.
• Additionally, survivors of rape would be forced to report their rape prior to her rapist taking her to court to prevent her abortion. For people who are pregnant as a result of incest, this bill would put the financial burden of obtaining DNA from both parties onto the pregnant woman.

Additional Anti-Abortion Attacks

• HB 1477: prohibiting abortions after detection of fetal heartbeat. (six week abortion ban)
  • Committee vote - ITL, 11-10
• HB 1625: repealing the prohibition on entering or remaining on a public way or sidewalk adjacent to a reproductive health care facility. 
  • Committee vote - ITL, 12-9

Proactive Abortion Rights Bills

• CACR 18: relating to reproductive medical decisions. Providing that the state shall not infringe or unduly inconvenience the right of reproductive medical decisions.
  • Committee vote - ITL, 11-8
• HB 1674: relative to reproductive rights. (Access to Abortion-care Act)
  • Committee vote - ITL, 11-8
• HB 1673: relative to women's health privacy and repealing the fetal health protection act.
  • Committee vote - OTP/A, 11-10

Polling:

• Recent UNH Survey Center polling released in February, 2022, shows that New Hampshire overwhelmingly supports Roe v. Wade. Across the state, 65% of Granite Staters want the new Supreme Court Justice to be someone who would vote to uphold Roe v. Wade - including a majority of registered Democrats, registered undeclared, and registered Republican voters. Just 20% of Granite Staters want the next Supreme Court Justice to vote to overturn Roe.
• The truth is, most Granite Staters and most Americans support access to safe, legal abortion. If someone has decided to have an abortion, more than 8 in 10 respondents want the experience to be supportive and nonjudgmental, without added burdens or protesters, affordable and safe. 

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Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) is the largest provider of reproductive and sexual health care 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 10,000 patients at these sites. PPNNE was named a 2021 Guardian of Excellence Award^® winner by Press Ganey, the national leader in health care consumer and workforce engagement. Press Ganey recognizes PPNNE as a top-performing health care organization, achieving the 95^th percentile or above for performance in patient experience, out of more than 20,000 medical practices.

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.