Extreme Legislators Seek to Restrict Reproductive Healthcare in NH
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Laura Thibault January 24, 2012 Interim Executive Director 603.254.3341 House Judiciary Committee Hears Four Anti-Choice Bills Extreme Legislators Seek to Restrict Reproductive Healthcare in NH
Concord, NH—Today, the House Judiciary Committee held hearings on four separate bills seeking to restrict reproductive health care in New Hampshire. Following on the heels of the latest effort by the House to restrict funding for primary care facilities that also provide abortion, the hearings today focused on two separate bills to ban abortion, a clause to allow refusal of services and information related to family planning and abortion, and a counseling requirement that would require practitioners to deliver biased information to women seeking abortion care. “Today's hearings shine the light on the true intent of this legislature. They like to tout the economy as their priority, but what they really want is to restrict women's reproductive rights,” said Laura Thibault, Interim Executive Director of NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire. HB 1653 is just one example of the tactics anti-choice legislators are rolling out. This bill seeks to permit a broad range of individuals and institutions—including hospitals, hospital employees, health-care providers, employers, and insurers—to refuse to provide, pay, counsel or even refer for medical treatment. Thibault stated, “Science –not politics – should determine medical decisions. Health-care institutions have a duty to ensure that patients receive accurate information and appropriate care. Failure to provide this care, even for religious reasons, is wrong and may jeopardize patient health.” ### NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire is the state's largest grassroots organization dedicated solely to reproductive rights, and has been working to protect choice since 1977. Their mission is to develop and sustain a constituency that uses the political process to guarantee every woman the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices.
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