(CONTACT: Ellen Kolb, Cornerstone Vice-President for Government Affairs, 603-321-2703, ekolb@nhcornerstone.org)
Governor John Lynch should be seeing some important bills on his desk soon, after votes Wednesday morning in the New Hampshire House.
- Pro-choice and pro-life New Hampshire residents can agree that a woman who chooses to carry her child should have that choice respected. Governor Lynch should be seeing HB 217 soon, and Cornerstone urges him to sign the bill into law. HB 217 updates New Hampshire’s homicide statutes to include fetal homicide. An individual, such as a drunk driver or abusive partner, who causes the death of a fetus against the will of the mother should have to answer for that action. The unanimous New Hampshire Supreme Court decision in the 2009 Lamy case illustrated the effect of the lack of an appropriate fetal homicide law, and the justices went so far as to invite the legislature to re-examine the statutes. Today, the House and Senate agreed on language to do just that.
- The House and Senate have each passed a bill establishing education tax credits for businesses that contribute to scholarship organizations. These scholarships would be for students attending any school of their families’ choice, up through high school. We hope Governor Lynch will help New Hampshire families by supporting a tax credit bill that will enhance opportunities for students all over the state.
- A majority of legislators in both chambers made it clear that New Hampshire is no place for partial-birth abortions. This barbaric abortion procedure blurs the line between abortion and infanticide, and we urge Governor Lynch to sign HB 1679 and ban this procedure. Only a single abortion method is affected by the bill. A woman’s right to choose abortion remains intact. We note that there was testimony during hearings on HB 1679 that partial-birth procedures are not done in New Hampshire. This is impossible to verify, since the state does not collect abortion statistics. In any case, we support closing the door on the procedure altogether.
- Finally, the House and Senate agreed today on a resolution commending the work of pregnancy care centers that provide alternatives to abortion for women in crisis pregnancies. This requires no action by the governor. Cornerstone has supported this resolution since its introduction, and its passage is a tribute to the people who provide an invaluable social resource by their work with women in crisis.
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