REPUBLICANS IN NEW HAMPSHIRE REJECT FAMILY PLANNING CONTRACTS FOR FOURTH TIME
"It’s very clear in my mind with the Fetal Protection Act that we passed, yes you can have an abortion up to the 24th week, no questions asked," said Sen. Sharon Carson, a Republican from Londonderry. "So why do we need to codify it someplace else? To make it less confusing? That is not going to happen. The law is the law."
The New Hampshire Senate on Thursday rejected a proposal to enshrine abortion rights into state law.
Democrats argued that codifying abortion rights was necessary after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade.
"I don’t believe the law is clear," said Sen. Becky Whitley, a Democrat from Hopkinton. "The law is silent. What the law is very clear on are restrictions 24 weeks and above, but there is nothing that you can pick up in a statute book that says you are free from governmental intrusion up to 24 weeks. So to me, the law is unclear and ambiguous."
MISSOURI PROPOSALS MAY PUT ABORTION BACK ON BALLOT
The House has yet to vote on a similar bill, along with half a dozen others related to abortion. Some would further restrict abortion, while others seek to repeal the current abortion ban or remove the criminal penalties associated with it.
New Hampshire had no restrictions on abortion until 2021, when Gov. Chris Sununu signed a state budget into law that included the 24-week ban.