Senate panel rejects abortion rights bills
Apr. 11—CONCORD — A pair of abortion rights bills are headed for showdown votes Thursday after a key Senate committee along party lines recommended killing both of them.
The Senate Judiciary Committee voted, 3-2, against legislation to repeal criminal and civil penalties against doctors who perform abortions after the state's abortion ban of 24 weeks (HB 224) and to enshrine into state law protections for women to get a legal abortion prior to when the ban kicks in (HB 88).
Senate Majority Leader Sharon Carson, R-Londonderry, said she expects a "vigorous" debate on both House-passed proposals when they come up later this week.
"We had a very substantive discussion when this law was passed and there was no need to take it out," Carson said of the measure to eliminate penalties against doctors.
As for placing abortion rights into state law, Carson said the Senate had already rejected this idea in 2023 and nothing has changed.
Sens. Daryl Abbas, R-Salem, and Ruth Ward, R-Stoddard, joined Carson in opposing both bills.
Senate Assistant Democratic Leader Becky Whitley of Hopkinton and Sen. Shannon Chandley, D-Amherst, backed them both.
New Hampshire is the only New England state without affirmative abortion protections in state law.
The legislation would not change the existing ban on abortion after 24 weeks, Whitley stressed.
The only legal exceptions to the ban are when the mother's health is at risk or if the pregnancy results in a fatal, fetal anomaly.
"As we saw last year, what we once considered unimaginable, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, has happened," Chandley and Whitley said in a joint statement.
"The Dobbs decision very clearly states that the U.S. Constitution implied no right to abortion care and access. It is, therefore, incumbent upon the state of New Hampshire to ensure that our statutes recognize an affirmative right to abortion care and access."
Kayla Montgomery, executive vice president of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said the committee votes do not spell certain defeat.
"While we are disappointed the Senate Judiciary Committee failed to listen to their constituents or New Hampshire's esteemed medical community today, we remain hopeful that the full Senate will join their House colleagues to act to protect Granite Staters' right to safe, legal abortion and ensure our state's trusted doctors are not criminalized for providing appropriate, compassionate care," Montgomery said in a statement.
Some doctors testified that having these penalties on the books made it harder for New Hampshire to recruit obstetricians and gynecologists in the future to work here.
Leaders of socially-conservative organizations such as Cornerstone Action and New Hampshire Right to Life have said that getting rid of penalties against doctors would render the abortion ban law meaningless.
A large group of anti-abortion advocates turned out to oppose both bills last week.
Gov. Chris Sununu has said he could support getting rid of penalties against doctors.
