By GARRY RAYNO, InDepthNH.org
CONCORD — The House Judiciary Committee Friday decided to take the middle road on abortion, recommending killing all but two of the six abortion bills it heard last week.
The votes were close in committee but only one of the bills will come to the House floor with a recommendation to pass.
House Bill 1673 would do much of what the House approved this week when it gave initial approval to House Bill 1609, which added exceptions for rape, incest and fetal anomalies to the state’s new law that went into effect Jan. 1 banning abortions after the 23rd week of pregnancy.
The bill the committee approved Friday also enhances the exemption for the life of the mother and removes criminal and civil penalties against healthcare providers contained in the original bill approved last year.
The bill also removes the mandate for an ultrasound prior to any abortion.
The committee vote for passing the bill with an amendment was a razor thin 11-10 with committee chair Rep. Ned Gordon, R-Bristol, joining Democrats for the recommendation.
The other bill to not have a recommendation for killing, House Bill 1181, would allow the biological father of an unborn child to petition the court for an injunction prohibiting the biological mother from having an abortion.
The person does not have to prove he is the biological father to initially block the abortion.
On an 18-1 vote, the committee recommended the bill be sent to interim study, which is usually a polite death, because the next legislature does not have to take up the committee’s recommendation.
The committee recommended killing two bills that would have enshrined the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision establishing abortion rights, in the state’s statutes or constitution.
Proposed constitutional amendment CACR 18 was voted down 11-8 as was House Bill 1674, which would have preserved the right in state statutes.
On a party line vote, House Bill 1477, which would have prohibited an abortion after a fetal heartbeat can be heard, was recommended to be killed on an 11-10 vote.
The bill is similar to the one passed in Texas that has almost stopped abortions from being performed in the state. That bill outlaws abortion after six weeks of pregnancy.
And on a 12-9 vote, the committee recommended killing House Bill 1625, which would have repealed the state law establishing a safety zone around clinics that perform abortions.
After the votes, Kayla Montgomery, Vice President of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, said there were things to praise in the committee’s actions and things to condemn.
“Every person should have access to the health care they need – including abortion – without government interference,” she said. ‘We only need to look to Texas to see what a world without abortion access looks like – the Texas abortion ban has created chaos for individual patients, and for the region.”
With the U.S. Supreme Court considering a case that could overturn Roe v. Wade, it is extremely important for the New Hampshire legislature to take action to protect a woman’s reproductive rights, she said.
“While it is incredibly disappointing the House Judiciary Committee refused to consider proactive protections for reproductive rights in New Hampshire, we are encouraged by today’s bipartisan committee votes to mitigate the harm caused by New Hampshire’s abortion ban and reject further attacks on abortion access, including a Texas-style six-week abortion ban,” Montgomery said. “We urge the full House to overturn the committee report of ITL on HB 1674 and urge the body to uphold the recommendations to reject HB 1181, HB 1477, and HB 1625.”
The bills will come before the full House next month for votes.
Garry Rayno may be reached at garry.rayno@yahoo.com.
