Arrr! New Hampshire House be sayin' nay to more or less plunderin' o' the wee lasses' choice o' abortin'!
2024-02-01
Arr, ye scurvy dogs of the New Hampshire House be havin' the chance t' tighten the grip on the sacred act of abortion, yet ye be choosin' to let it slip through yer fingers like a slippery eel! No new restrictions be placed, nor access be widened! Aye, 'tis a dastardly decision!
The New Hampshire House, led by Republicans but with a close division, rejected three abortion bills on Thursday, choosing not to further restrict or protect reproductive rights. The current state law already prohibits abortion after 24 weeks of pregnancy, except in cases where the mother's health or life is in danger or there is a fatal fetal anomaly. The House voted in favor of asking voters to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, but the vote fell short of the majority needed to advance the proposal.The House also rejected two other bills. One would have required abortions after 15 weeks to be performed with two doctors present and in hospitals with neonatal intensive care units. The other bill would have banned abortion after just 15 days of gestation, which is practically an outright ban as most people do not know they are pregnant at that early stage. Lawmakers voted to "indefinitely postpone" the latter bill, making it more difficult to revive in the future.
The only measure that was debated was a constitutional amendment to protect abortion up to 24 weeks and allow abortions beyond that when a physician deems them necessary. This amendment was sponsored by Rep. Amanda Toll, who spoke in support of it while holding her week-old daughter. Toll argued that every Granite Stater should have the right to make their own reproductive decisions, and that voters should have the opportunity to decide on this matter.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the constitutional right to abortion in 2022, voters in seven states have either protected abortion rights or defeated attempts to restrict them in statewide votes. While New Hampshire does not allow citizen-led ballot initiatives, changes can be made to the state constitution if three-fifths of the Legislature agrees to put the question to voters, who must then approve amendments by at least a two-thirds majority.
Opponents of the constitutional amendment argued that the wording was vague and gave too much discretion to doctors. They also claimed that it was unnecessary because the current law is widely supported by the public and there is no real threat to abortion rights in the state.