Senate Judiciary Committee to Hear Testimony on Access to Abortion-care Act

CONCORD - On Tuesday, January 31, 2023, the Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on SB 181, the Access to Abortion-care Act. The Access to Abortion-care Act would proactively place the right to have an abortion into state law, adding a layer of protection and providing critical assurance to Granite Staters that they can work with providers to get the health care they need in the majority of situations. It does not change any current New Hampshire abortion laws. There is also an identical bill in the house, HB 88, scheduled for a public hearing on February 15. 

DATE: Tuesday, January 31, 2023
TIME: 2:00 p.m.

LOCATION: State House Room 100

Kayla Montgomery, Vice President for Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, released the following statement about the bill:

“While abortion remains safe and legal in New Hampshire before 24 weeks, without federal constitutional protections the future of our rights is vulnerable because we are the only state in New England without proactive state protections for abortion. This uncertainty causes anxiety - for providers, Granite Staters, and the many out-of-state patients who are already coming to New Hampshire for abortion care. Planned Parenthood and local providers are all committed to providing all patients with the compassionate care they need - no matter what - but we need lawmakers to act now to pass the Access to Abortion-care Act and guarantee the future of abortion rights in our state.”

BACKGROUND:

Polling:

• 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. 

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.

New Hampshire’s Access to Abortion-care Act (AAA)

• House Bill 88 and Senate Bill 181 would put abortion rights into state statute. If passed into law, it would proactively protect the future of abortion rights in the Granite State.
• The Access to Abortion-care Act upholds long-held New Hampshire values by enshrining the right to make personal, private health decisions regarding abortion in law. 
• The AAA does not change anything about current New Hampshire abortion laws; it does, however, provide critical protections to ensure that Granite Staters can work with their doctors to get the health care they need in the majority of situations. 

###

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.