I remember when my mother, now 89, went to work for “the State” of New Hampshire’s first family planning office back in the early 70s shortly after Roe v Wade went into effect. It was a time when Meldrim Thomson was governor, William Loeb ran the Union Leader, and when ‘Live Free or Die’ began to be stamped on our license plates. I was just a kid, but I remember her explaining that Family planning helped provide health care services to women and families. I remember learning in college that Roe was not guaranteed, and that state-level anti-abortion laws that remained on the books would go back into effect if Roe were ever overturned.
Decades later, here we are. I’m now past child-bearing age, but am angry that my two kids, now in their 20s, face the possibility that an unplanned pregnancy could derail their lives, or lead to medical or psychological trauma. This fight is not and never has been just about abortion, it’s about control over women’s lives. It’s about women getting to decide whether to take on the very real medical risks that pregnancy and childbirth pose and much more. Two bills are up for consideration in the state Senate this week that move in the direction of promoting women’s right to self-determination. SB 399 and SB 436 should be supported by every freedom-loving senator.
Mary Downes
Madbury