PPNHAF Statement Following Gov. Sununu's Inauguration

CONCORD – Today, Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund released the statement below following Gov. Chris Sununu’s inauguration.

Statement from Kayla Montgomery, Sr. Director of Public Affairs, PPNHAF: 

“We congratulate Governor Sununu on being inaugurated to another term. Governor Sununu recently said he is not “looking to make any abortion restrictions” in New Hampshire. This year, at least eight bills have been introduced that appear to be direct attacks on access to sexual and reproductive health care. We look forward to working with him to ensure that family planning services and reproductive rights are protected in the Granite State.”

Background on anti-sexual and reproductive health care bills in the 2021 legislative session:

At least eight LSRs have been filed this session that appear to be direct attacks on access to sexual and reproductive health care: 

2021-0146	HB	Prohibiting Public Funding Of Abortions and Establishing The New Hampshire Foster Care and Adoption Initiative Fund.
2021-0304	HB	Relative to The Right Of Any Infant Born Alive to Medically Appropriate and Reasonable Care and Treatment.
2021-0541	HB	Relative to The Protection Of Fetal Life.
2021-0570	HB	Repealing The Prohibition On Entering or Remaining On A Public Way or Sidewalk Adjacent to A Reproductive Health Care Facility.
2021-0642	HB	Prohibiting The Use Of Public Funds For Abortions.
2021-0791	HB	Protecting Nascent Human Life As A Reasonable and Valid State Interest.
2021-0800	HCR	Recognizing the authority of states to enact laws protecting the lives of the unborn and call for a Constitutional Convention to propose a human life amendment to the Constitution.
2021-1006	SB	Relative to health facilities providing care in the declared emergency.

Of these eight bills, four appear to be abortion bans/restrictions (2021-0541, 2021-0791, 2021-0800, 2021-1006), two appear to be attempts to prohibit New Hampshire Medicaid from covering abortion care (2021-0146, 2021-0642), one appears to be so-called “born alive” legislation similar to bills introduced (and defeated) in 2020 (2021-0304), and one appears to be an attempt to repeal New Hampshire’s buffer zone law (2021-0570). Below is background on each of these types of legislation and why PPNHAF is opposed to any legislative attempt to restrict access to sexual and reproductive health care.

Abortion bans/restrictions

In recent years, New Hampshire has seen an onslaught of abortion bans and restrictions, and this year appears to be no different. While we don’t know the language of these bills, LSRs 2021-0541, 2021-0791, 2021-0800, and 2021-1006 all appear to be abortion restrictions or bans. Last year, New Hampshire saw five bills to restrict or ban abortion, including the most extreme abortion ban in state history, HB 1475, which would have banned abortion at six weeks gestation -- before most even know they’re pregnant. Like in previous sessions, all of these bills were rejected with bipartisan votes. 

Attacks on NH’s patient safety zone

New Hampshire’s buffer zone law, which passed with bipartisan support in 2014, protects patient safety and privacy at reproductive health centers in the Granite State by allowing health centers to establish patient safety zones of up to 25 feet, if they elect to do so. The law is designed to strike a balance between patient safety and First Amendment rights. Since the buffer zone was signed into law, several bills have been introduced in an attempt to repeal it; all have been rejected in a bipartisan manner. Most recently, in 2019, HB 124 was rejected with a bipartisan 228-141 vote. 

“Born alive” legislation

In 2020, so-called “born alive” bills were introduced in both the NH House and Senate -- both bills were rejected. These dishonest, inflammatory bills are designed to drive a false narrative about reproductive health care for political purposes. There is no such thing as an abortion resulting in “infanticide.” It doesn’t happen. Harm to anyone, including a newborn, is illegal. These misleading statements are false, offensive, and dangerous, and not based in science or reality. Medical experts from across New Hampshire flooded the State House this year to oppose this legislation. 

Insurance Denial of Abortion Coverage

These bills prohibit the use of New Hampshire Medicaid insurance for abortion care. This legislation seeks to prevent something that isn’t happening: state insurance already does not cover abortion care and the Hyde Amendment bans the use of federal insurance for abortion. Patients seeking an abortion must use private insurance that covers abortion or pay for their care out of pocket.

If the legislature were to consider a bill allowing people to use state insurance for abortion care, Planned Parenthood would support it just as we support ending the Hyde Amendment. Preventing people from using their health insurance coverage for abortion care is a discriminatory policy that is particularly harmful to people who are struggling financially, people of color, people in the LGBTQ+ community, and immigrants — who all disproportionately rely on Medicaid for their health care coverage. In New Hampshire, more than 200,000 people are insured by Medicaid -- or nearly 15 percent of Granite Staters. For people facing structural barriers to health care, the legal right to an abortion matters little when you can’t get or afford the care you need. However, no such legislation has been proposed this session. 

Targeted restrictions on abortion providers (TRAP legislation)

Though we don’t know for certain whether any targeted restrictions on abortion providers (TRAP legislation) have been filed for this session, this kind of legislation has become increasingly common in recent years. A TRAP law imposes costly, severe, and medically unnecessary requirements on abortion providers and reproductive health providers designed to shut down those providers or make it more difficult for people to access abortion. One prominent example of a TRAP law is the abortion restriction that was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court this year in June Medical Services v. Russo due to its unconstitutionality.

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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