Copyright keenesentinel
Republican lawmakers are pursuing legislation that could test Republican Gov. Kelly Ayotte’s pledge to veto any bill that restricts abortion beyond what is in current New Hampshire law. Rep. Samuel Farrington, R-Rochester, has several proposals being drafted into measures state legislators will consider in next year’s session, which begins in January. They concern who can make referrals to abortion providers, the dispensing of abortion drugs and the regulation of pregnancy resource centers. Farrington declined to provide details of the proposals when contacted recently, noting the exact wording is still being formulated. “I filed these bills to increase options and resources for pregnant mothers that might be facing difficult circumstances,” he said without further explanation. Rep. Cyril Aures, R-Chichester, is proposing to repeal a state law that allows reproductive health care clinics to set up a buffer zone to prevent protests within a certain distance of their facilities. Rep. John Sellers, R-Bristol, has a proposal that would restrict abortion providers from being defined as a charitable organization for the purposes of receiving money from games of chance. He also plans a bill requiring public school students to view videos showing embryo and fetal development. Ayotte vetoed a similar proposal earlier this year. Current New Hampshire law prohibits abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions to save the life of the woman or if the fetus is not expected to survive. Ayotte said in her inaugural address early this year that she would reject more expansive restrictions. “If you send me legislation that further restricts access to abortion beyond our current law: I will veto it,” she said at the time. Kayla Montgomery, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, noted in an interview last week that bills are now at the stage where only their titles have been publicly released. The exact language won’t be available until late this year or early next year. “But based on titles, there are many troubling ones that attempt to restrict sexual and reproductive health,” she said. “The ultimate goal of all of this is to shut down abortion providers.” It’s not clear yet whether any bills will be introduced that would actually change the 24-week threshold for getting abortions in the state. Early this year, a bill that would have reduced that to 15 weeks failed to gain traction in the Legislature.
