When I first ran for the state senate and challenged an incumbent Republican, I did so motivated by his leading role in shepherding our state’s first abortion restriction into law. I did not shy away from the tough battle then, and I won. Once in Concord, we made sure to always stand up for access to safe, legal abortion. We trusted that women are capable of making their own private health care decisions.
Gov. Sununu, on the other hand, just signed the most extreme abortion ban in two centuries. This is the opposite of trusting women, and the stakes for New Hampshire women could not be higher.
Sununu’s abortion ban makes it very difficult for pregnant women to access abortion when medically necessary. Performing an abortion after 24 weeks is already extremely rare. Dr. Ilana Cass, chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, told New Hampshire Public Radio they only perform abortions when a severe fetal abnormality is detected and the abnormality “would prevent the fetus from living outside of the uterus, and this is sometimes only recognized fairly later on in the pregnancy.” These are tragic circumstances and Sununu’s abortion ban will force a woman to carry this fetus to term even though she knows the fetus could not live.
Instead of trusting women, Sununu has chosen to insert the government into this deeply personal decision that should be left to women. That’s wrong.
The abortion ban goes even further and forces medically unnecessary ultrasounds on all women seeking abortion care, even if they are a victim of rape or incest, and compels them to pay for this additional expense. According to RAINN, one out of every nine women under the age of 18 is a victim of sexual abuse. Think about that. For a young Granite Stater who is a victim of sexual abuse trying to access abortion, Sununu’s abortion ban will require her to undergo a frivolous ultrasound and cover the added expense herself.
According to the New Hampshire Department of Insurance, the average cost of a pregnancy ultrasound is around $275 for an insured individual and $400 for an uninsured individual. And that doesn’t include the cost of an additional appointment. These extra costs add up and will make it even more difficult for women in already challenging situations to access abortion.
Further, I question the intent of mandating an ultrasound. Women are not strangers to their own bodies and are not looking for the government to educate them.
The ban also criminalizes doctors and could discourage them from working in New Hampshire altogether. It criminalizes health care providers with a class B felony and up to seven years in prison and also fines providers up to $100,000 for performing a medically necessary abortion. Health care providers know these unique circumstances shouldn’t be subject to politics. That’s why over 200 health care providers penned a letter to the governor opposing this draconian abortion ban.
New Hampshire has a long, bipartisan tradition of protecting the right to privacy. Instead of upholding this tradition, Gov. Sununu has chosen to put women’s health at risk and break his own promise to Granite Staters. “Abortion restrictions? I’m not looking to make any changes on that…I don’t think we’re looking to make any abortion restrictions in this state,” Sununu said in October.
Now that the Governor has signed this extreme abortion ban into law, Granite Staters will hold him accountable.
(Molly Kelly is a former stat e senator and currently serves on the Board of Directors for Amplify New Hampshire. She lives in Harrisville.)