Concerning the politics of abortion, I support neither the imposition of a particular religious and legal perspective that human personhood begins at conception nor the assertion that a pregnant woman’s bodily autonomy should always trump the rights of a healthy, viable fetus late in pregnancy. However, unlike Gov. Sununu and gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte, I do not consider our state’s current abortion law a satisfactory compromise between these two opposing positions. As written, the New Hampshire abortion law fails to consider the complexity of late in pregnancy complications, and threatens physicians with fines and jail time for violating the law.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court repealed Roe, the access to abortion care in our country has radically changed. Fourteen states now ban all abortions and 27 states limit abortions based on gestational age. Several developments suggest that if the GOP gains control of the state house and the governor’s office, the abortion law in our state might be made much more restrictive. In the past two years our legislature has considered an abortion ban at 15 days and 15 weeks and refused to incorporate the right to an abortion into state law. And, the Project 2025 policy blueprint for a second Trump term endorses fetal personhood at conception. I recommend every voter ask candidates whether they support formally incorporating the right to an abortion into our state’s laws and our state constitution. Without such guarantees, a GOP governor and legislature could severely limit access to abortion care for Granite Staters.

Randy Hayes

Canterbury