Concord, NH – Late Wednesday evening the New Hampshire House of Representatives considered and struck-down a package of anti-reproductive rights and anti-privacy bills.
These bills that were struck-down are part of a much broader attack on women's reproductive rights in New Hampshire where, in 2016, lawmakers introduced over a dozen anti-choice bills. From onerous regulations on abortion clinics to limits on access to abortion care, these bills would have put the health of New Hampshire's women at risk while infringing upon their personal privacy. Moreover, this package of legislation would have made the constitutional protections of Roe v. Wade (1973) meaningless for New Hampshire women and families.
“For more than forty years, the U.S. Supreme Court has affirmed that under Roe v. Wade, the constitution protects every woman’s right to make her own personal medical decisions about abortion. The New Hampshire House has once again affirmed this essential right by rejecting several unnecessary restrictions on abortion care that would have put women’s health at risk,” said Devon Chaffee, Executive Director of the ACLU of NH.
New Hampshire has a strong tradition of respecting women and doctors to make personal, private decisions about pregnancy and childbearing. The Granite State currently has some of the best public health outcomes in the country for women, including the lowest teen pregnancy rate, and the best perinatal and maternal health outcomes. The House voting down this package of anti-women’s health and anti-privacy legislation carries on this tradition of care and respect for New Hampshire women and for New Hampshire communities.