Senate Has One Last Opportunity to Support Abortion Early in Pregnancy with HCR 11, But Time is Running Out

Concord, N.H. – In February, the NH House passed HCR 11: condemning medically unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion by a bipartisan vote of 196-151. The Senate must now vote, with a 2/3rds majority, to take up this resolution. The deadline is tomorrow – Thursday, May 23rd. 

Kayla Montgomery, Vice President for Public Affairs at Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, released the following statement:

“We were encouraged to see such strong bipartisan support for a resolution in response to the upcoming Supreme Court decision, which could affect access to mifepristone across the country, including here in New Hampshire. We hope that the NH Senate supports the super majority of Granite Staters who support medication abortion as a safe, legal, accessible option. 

New Hampshire was the first state in the nation, back in 1991, to pass a resolution recognizing the importance of access to mifepristone and urging the FDA to allow clinical trials of mifepristone and medication abortion.

Now, more than ever, we need our lawmakers to continue this longstanding tradition of supporting reproductive health by joining the House to condemn medically unnecessary restrictions on medication abortion.”

Additional background about the mifepristone case at the U.S. Supreme Court:

• A group of anti-abortion activists and organizations sued the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) over its approval of mifepristone, one of two medications most commonly used in medication abortion in the United States. In the case that originated in Texas, Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al, the plaintiffs asked the court to order the FDA to rescind its approval of mifepristone from more than 20 years ago, in order to remove it from the market. 
• On April 21st, 2023, the Supreme Court of the United States granted the stay requested by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Danco in Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine et al v. U.S. Food and Drug Administration et al. allowing mifepristone’s FDA approval to remain unchanged as the case proceeds through the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court. This case will now be decided at the Supreme Court. Oral arguments were on March 26th, 2024. 
• Access to and approval of mifepristone remains unchanged until the Supreme Court’s ruling, which is expected by the end of June 2024.

Additional background about mifepristone: 

• Mifepristone is used exclusively early in pregnancy (before 11 weeks, or 77 days after a patient’s last missed period). 
• In the 20 years since approved by the FDA, mifepristone has been used by more than five million people in the U.S. and is used in over half of all abortions in the United States. 
• At Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE), which has health centers in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, about 70% of abortion patients choose medication abortion. 

Additional background about New Hampshire’s reproductive rights landscape:

• Since Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, the state of New Hampshire has failed to protect Granite Staters’ abortion rights, despite having multiple opportunities. 
• New Hampshire remains the only state in New England without the right to abortion in state law or state constitution. 
• The majority of Granite Staters agree – everyone should have the right to make personal, private health care decisions in consultation with their medical providers, not politicians.

Recent polling related to reproductive rights and abortion access: 

• By a 20-point margin, likely voters think that medication abortion should be provided by mail and that the U.S. government should continue to allow telemedicine for abortion.
• 54% of Republican 2024 primary voters in NH believe that abortion should be legal in all or most cases.
• 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 shows 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 on June 24, 2022.
• 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 truth is, most Granite Staters and most Americans support access to safe, legal abortion. If someone has decided to have an abortion, more than 8 in 10 respondents want the experience to be supportive and nonjudgmental, without added burdens or protesters, affordable and safe.

For more information on the proposed legislation or to connect with a Planned Parenthood Northern New England spokesperson, contact [email protected] or (603) 715-4321.

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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.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE) is the largest provider of reproductive and sexual health care across the State of New Hampshire. We serve New Hampshire residents through 5 health centers in Derry, Exeter, Keene, Manchester and White River Junction, VT. Last fiscal year we saw more than 11,000 patients at these sites. PPNNE was named a 2021 Guardian of Excellence Award^® winner by Press Ganey, the national leader in health care consumer and workforce engagement. Press Ganey recognizes PPNNE as a top-performing health care organization, achieving the 95th percentile or above for performance in patient experience.