In a pandemic, where our health care and social systems are strained, I am disappointed to learn that the newly elected Republican state Legislature feels anti-abortion bills are a priority. Taking away essential health care is not what our state or any state needs, especially during a health care crisis where resources across sectors are stretched thin.
Rep. Beth Folsom (R-Wentworth) and Rep. Walter Stapleton (R-Claremont) who sponsored these wasteful bills – HB 625 and HB 622 – are only setting vulnerable populations up for future economic and health disparities. The Guttmacher Institute reports that 75% of women who seek an abortion are classified as “poor or low income.” Restricting safe abortions only increases abortions in unsafe conditions. Having an abortion is not a choice anyone wants to make; it is a decision made for a safe, healthful, and productive future for mother and child.
Instead, the N.H. Legislature should be putting its resources into supporting New Hampshire families – ensuring there will be a prosperous and sustainable future for those of us who are already on this earth. HB 625 and HB 622 are not investments for anyone’s future; they are selfish bills that restrict someone else’s right to planning their future. I know I speak for the majority when I say that the right to decide is a fundamental right of life.
ELIZABETH BOUCHER
Concord