2010 Legislative Session Overview
The NH House defeated five anti-choice bills this year—all with strong vote margins of between 60-72%. All five bills were opposed by the Reproductive Rights Coalition which includes Concord Feminist Health Center, Feminist Health Center of Portsmouth, NARAL Pro-Choice NH, NH Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence, NH Civil Liberties Union, and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. In addition, the NH Medical Society opposed specific provisions in HB 1666 and HB 1662. These were not new bills. - Just in the past 12 years, the House has defeated bills attempting to legislate family communication 11 times. One did pass in 2003 and then was repealed in 2007 when the parental notice law was found unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.
- NH has defeated bills that place unique and burdensome requirements on our abortion providers 5 different times.
- NH has defeated attempt to undermine Roe through the criminal justice code 4 times.
HB 1662 was the most egregious yet—combining virtually every restriction into one huge bill, including spousal notice, parental consent, onerous regulation of abortion providers, biased counseling and mandatory 24 hour delays, and a ban on abortion coverage in the health plan for state employees. NPCNH’s positions on these public policy debates: - Ideally, young women will turn to their parents when faced with an unplanned pregnancy, a sexually transmitted infection, a drug or alcohol problem or a mental health issue. In the case of unplanned pregnancy, most of them do. However, when they cannot, we must put the safety of young women first, so that they can get the health care they need without further delay and intimidation.
- Abortion providers in New Hampshire are fully licensed and in compliance with local, state and federal regulations, including NH RSA 151.
- NH statutes already provide for significant extra penalties when a crime causes a pregnant women to lose her pregnancy. Personhood creates constitutional conflicts that undermine Roe v. Wade and inheritance rights for fetuses.
- Spousal consent is unconstitutional.
- The many restrictions in HB 1662 represent a massive government intrusion on private medical decisions AND on the delivery of medical care.
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