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Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund Responds to Morse Gubernatorial Campaign Announcement; Underscores Anti-Reproductive Rights Record 

For Immediate Release: July 19, 2023


As Chuck Morse announces his campaign for New Hampshire governor, Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund is reminding voters about his anti-abortion record. 

Kayla Montgomery, Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, issued the following statement: 

“For more than a decade in Concord, Chuck Morse chipped away at abortion rights in New Hampshire.  

Morse celebrated the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and he was a key architect of New Hampshire’s first abortion ban in modern history. Morse refused to take action to undo some of the harm his abortion ban caused, notably opposing bipartisan efforts to add a critical exception for fatal fetal diagnoses to the law.  

Let’s be clear: Granite Staters overwhelmingly believe abortion should be safe and legal, but Chuck Morse’s anti-abortion agenda poses an unprecedented threat to reproductive freedom in New Hampshire.” 
 
BACKGROUND: 

Chuck Morse’s Record on Reproductive Health and Rights: 

  • As a state senator, Chuck Morse voted for two abortion bans: HB 1679 in 2012 and HB 2 in 2021.  

  • Chuck Morse was a key architect of New Hampshire’s first abortion ban in modern history, which prohibited the procedure after 24-weeks with no exceptions for fatal fetal diagnoses, rape, or incest. The ban as originally adopted also mandated medically unnecessary ultrasounds for every patient seeking abortion care, at every stage of pregnancy. He supported its passage as part of the 2021 budget package and opposed subsequent efforts to reduce the harm caused by the ban. In 2022, Morse was one of only 5 Senators to vote against HB 1609, a bipartisan bill to add an exception for fatal fetal diagnoses and remove the medically unnecessary ultrasound provision. 

  • In 2020, Chuck Morse opposed legislation to reduce financial barriers to abortion care by voting against HB 685, which would have established insurance coverage equity for reproductive health services.  

  • In 2022, on the precipice of Roe v. Wade being overturned, Chuck Morse opposed legislation to enshrine abortion rights into state law before 24-weeks. He cast the tie vote to defeat SB 436, the Access to Abortion-care Act. 

  • Following the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Chuck Morse said: “This decision has no impact on New Hampshire. I strongly believe that the states should have the right to govern policy in their respective states as the Supreme Court has ruled.” 

  • Chuck Morse opposed legislation to protect patient privacy and safety. In 2014, he opposed SB 319, a bipartisan bill to establish optional buffer zones at reproductive health centers. Morse voted to repeal the patient safety zone law twice, including in 2022 when HB 1625 was vetoed by Republican governor Chris Sununu.  

 

The New Hampshire Landscape: 

  • Without Roe, abortion is still safe and legal in New Hampshire until 24 weeks - for now. A bill to ban abortion would have to pass to further dismantle access to abortion.  

  • The restrictions on abortion in New Hampshire are clear: access to abortion at or after 24 weeks is banned, with no exceptions for rape or incest and doctors face criminalization.  

  • New Hampshire is the only state in New England without proactive protections for abortion rights in state statutes or our state constitution. 

Polling: 

  • A survey from Breakthrough Campaigns conducted on behalf of Amplify NH shows that a supermajority of Granite Staters - 87% - support reproductive freedom and 64% of Granite Staters expect state elected officials to protect or expand abortion access in New Hampshire. Just 11% of Granite Staters want more abortion restrictions in the state. 

  • Polling from Maine, a state with similar support for abortion rights, shows that the majority of Mainers (67%) support expanding access to abortion later in pregnancy. The poll, conducted by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center in February 2023, indicates Mainers trust medical providers and their patients to make decisions about pregnancy and abortion.  

  • In a 50-state survey, PRRI found most Americans oppose abortion ban policies; 69% of Granite Staters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases. 

  • August 2022 polling by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center shows that support for abortion rights in New Hampshire is at a historic high and nearly 6 in 10 voters disapproved of the overturning of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. 

  • Polling released in July, 2021 from the UNH Survey Center shows that New Hampshire’s newly-enacted abortion ban is deeply unpopular, with only one-third of Granite Staters in support of it. Nearly half of independent Granite Staters oppose this ban, as do 27 percent of Republicans. 

  • 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 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.  

This page is controlled and operated by Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund.

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