Senate Republicans Pass Most Extreme Anti-Choice Legislation in History of NH
Contact Name: Marina Altschiller
Phone: (603) 271-3207
CONCORD - Today, Senate Republicans rejected an amendment to remove from the budget an abortion ban that represents the most extreme anti-choice legislation in the history of the state.
After the vote, Senate Democratic Leader Donna Soucy (D-Manchester) issued the following statement:
“As a result of today’s vote, New Hampshire is no longer the “Live Free or Die” state for all Granite Staters. Senate Republicans are officially responsible for the first-ever abortion ban in New Hampshire. While proponents of this anti-freedom policy are no doubt celebrating, we must be very clear about what actually happened today: Republicans made a critical advancement in their agenda to systematically strip women of our inalienable rights.
Each pregnancy and each circumstance is unique. When it comes to personal medical decisions, one-size-fits all laws are not only irresponsible, they simply don’t work. These decisions should be driven by a person’s health, not a political agenda or politicians’ personal beliefs. I am both surprised and disappointed by the passage of this legislation. In a state that prizes personal freedoms above all else, Republicans chose today to give politicians control over women’s lives and happily relieved us of our rights to bodily autonomy.
This extremist policy fails to represent what the overwhelming majority of what Granite Staters want from their government. This state has a long-standing bipartisan tradition of respecting privacy and personal freedoms, particularly when it comes to personal medical decisions. This has resulted in New Hampshire consistently being rated as one of the best states in the nation for maternal health outcomes. In fact, support for abortion access is at an all-time high, with nearly 70 percent of New Hampshire citizens believing that abortion should be legal in all or most cases. Granite Staters want more access to health care, not less, and it is more critical now than ever to see through this inflammatory misinformation campaign.
Women in New Hampshire have officially been put on notice: Republicans are coming for our rights. This was a sad day for the people of New Hampshire and a sad day for personal freedoms.”
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