The Democrats running for governor in 2018 are pro-choice – but with Roe in serious jeopardy of being overturned, the real question is what will we do about it.
In the Age of Trump, we must offer boldness, clarity and specificity if we are to win in November and define the future of our party, state and country.
Four weeks ago, I offered the following three-part plan that I will vigorously pursue as governor, to ensure that New Hampshire protects and expands women’s right to safely and legally terminate a pregnancy:
1) Codify the right to abortion at the state level.
Currently, eight states have laws that explicitly protect the right to have an abortion. An example of the language could look like this: “Every individual possesses a fundamental right of privacy with respect to personal reproductive decisions. Accordingly, it is the public policy of the state of New Hampshire that:
– Every individual has the fundamental right to choose or refuse birth control;
– Every woman has the fundamental right to choose or refuse to have an abortion, and the state shall not deny or interfere with that right;
– The state shall not discriminate against the exercise of these rights in the regulation or provision of benefits, facilities, services or information.”
2) Publicly fund abortion services.
Currently, Medicaid dollars may only be used for abortion services in the cases of rape, incest or life endangerment of the mother. This has the effect of creating more choice for those with greater means and less choice for those without such means. Abortion is an emotional and difficult topic, but within the context of state policy, it is a medical procedure and should be treated as such. Therefore, we should join the 17 states that currently cover abortion as part of Medicaid (eliminating the state-level Hyde Amendment). This was recently passed in Illinois and signed into law by Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
The language could look like this: “If the state provides, directly or by contract, maternity care benefits, services or information to women through any program administered or funded in whole or in part by the state, the state shall also provide women otherwise eligible for any such program with substantially equivalent benefits, services or information to permit them to voluntarily terminate their pregnancies.”
3) Eliminate existing restrictions on abortion.
We should repeal a pair of punitive laws, both enacted during the leadership of then-Speaker Bill O’Brien, as well as a fetal homicide bill, signed by Gov. Chris Sununu in 2017.
We should eliminate the parental notification requirement. Our primary concern must be the health and well-being of the young women involved, and this law has the effect of delaying care and increasing risk.
We should also eliminate the partial-birth abortion ban. The language itself is not medical – it is used for political purposes – primarily to significantly increase the bureaucracy women must traverse in what is a rare, but time-sensitive, situation.
Finally, the 2017 fetal homicide bill signed by Sununu uses 20 weeks as an arbitrary marker of viability. Laws already exist that provide enhanced felony penalties when a crime is committed against a pregnant woman. This law’s purpose was to move New Hampshire toward recognizing fetal personhood.
On this issue, like so many others, people seek bold leadership, and I am the only gubernatorial candidate who wants to eliminate the Hyde Amendment and these three punitive state laws. Amid political chaos, the next generation of politics is being defined right now.
Some seek a party that describes the past. I seek to lead the party that defines our future.
(Steve Marchand is a Democratic candidate for governor and former mayor of Portsmouth.)