Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund Publishes 2023-2024 Legislative Scorecards

Concord, N.H. – Today Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund (PPNHAF) published its 2023-2024 legislative scorecards for the New Hampshire House and Senate, detailing to what extent each New Hampshire state legislator supported abortion rights, health care privacy, and bodily autonomy in the 2023-2024 legislative session.

“With Roe v. Wade now in the past and without any state or federal protections for abortion rights in New Hampshire, the future of abortion access in New Hampshire now greatly depends on the state legislature,” said Kayla Montgomery, VP of Public Affairs for Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund. “It has never been more important for New Hampshire’s state lawmakers to fight to protect and expand access to reproductive health care, and it has never been more important for voters to stay engaged on this issue and to know exactly what their state legislators are doing to advance reproductive rights.”

To develop the scorecard, Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund compiled critical votes taken by members of the New Hampshire House and Senate that impact reproductive rights, including a near-total abortion ban, removing criminal penalties from New Hampshire providers, and adding the right to abortion – as well as other key votes– to calculate each legislator’s score. A 100% score means that a legislator has fully supported reproductive rights and freedom in the legislative sessions, while a 0% score means that a legislator has consistently voted against individual freedom and abortion rights.

Key takeaways from this year’s House Scorecard:

• 163 representatives made the PP100 list by voting in support of reproductive rights and health care every time, with no absences.

• 114 representatives scored 0%, voting against reproductive rights and health care every time they cast a vote.

• 110 representatives voted against stopping HB 591, a near-total (6-week) abortion ban. Only 1 vote was cast incorrectly. 

• 7 Republicans, 1 Independent, and 185 Democrats voted in support of CACR 23, which would protect the right to abortion up until 24 weeks in the New Hampshire Constitution. 183 Republicans and 1 Independent voted against protecting abortion rights in the New Hampshire Constitution.

• HB 224, a bill to remove criminal penalties from health care providers passed the House in a 205-178 vote. 15 Republicans joined 183 Democrats to pass the bill. 177 Republicans voted against the bill.

Key takeaways from this year’s Senate Scorecard:

• In 2023-2024, every scored reproductive rights vote failed on party lines. Every Senate Democrat voted in support of reproductive rights; every Senate Republican voted against. 

• In the previous biennium, the Access to Abortion-care Act (codifying the right to abortion in state law) failed in a 12-12 bipartisan vote. In 2023, after HB 88 passed the House in a 199-185 bipartisan vote, New Hampshire Senate Republicans defeated it, 14-10.

• All five bills on the 2023-2024 Senate Scorecard were proactive, positive measures; however, all received "Inexpedient to Legislate" committee reports with all 14 Senate Republicans voting to stop each one. 

“In New Hampshire, abortion is still safe and legal before 24 weeks. However, as the only state in New England without proactive protections for abortion rights, we know the future of abortion legality will depend upon each election and who holds power in Concord. Before Granite Staters head to the polls in September and November, we hope they will take time to use this scorecard to research where their elected officials stand on abortion access,” said Montgomery.

Recent polling data underscores the broad support for abortion rights in New Hampshire:

• A survey from Breakthrough Campaigns conducted on behalf of Amplify NH shows that a supermajority of Granite Staters - 87% - support reproductive freedom and 64% of Granite Staters expect state elected officials to protect or expand abortion access in New Hampshire. Just 11% of Granite Staters want more abortion restrictions in the state.

• In a 50-state survey, PRRI found most Americans oppose abortion ban policies; 69% of Granite Staters believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases.

• August 2022 polling by the Saint Anselm College Survey Center found that support for abortion rights in New Hampshire is at a historic high and nearly 6 in 10 voters disapproved of the overturning of Roe v. Wade.

• Polling released in July 2021 from the UNH Survey Center shows that New Hampshire’s abortion ban is deeply unpopular, with only one-third of Granite Staters in support of it. Nearly half of independent Granite Staters oppose this ban, as do 27 percent of Republicans.

The scorecards are for informational purposes and therefore should not be interpreted as an endorsement of any candidate. In the coming weeks, the Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund PAC will issue endorsements in state senate races.

You can find the 2023-2024 House Scorecard here and the 2023-2024 Senate Scorecard here.

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Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund (PPNHAF) is an independent, nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization formed as the advocacy and political arm of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in New Hampshire. The Action Fund engages in educational and electoral activity, including voter education, grassroots organizing, and legislative advocacy.