Before diving into our update this week, we have some good news…
Last week did not go as planned.
Several bills slated to advance were delayed, in part due to our engagement and your activism to get them RIGHT.
Before asking for your help again, we want to thank you for the positive impact you’ve already made on the issues that shape family life and culture in the Granite State. Your voice and prayers are powerful!
Thursday: House to Vote on Legalizing Assisted Suicide
Thursday, March 20th, the House will be voting on HB 254, which would legalize physician-assisted suicide for those facing an illness deemed likely to be terminal within six months by a physician.
Last year, this bill passed in the House by the skin of its teeth — a mere two votes sent it to the Senate where it was ultimately defeated. To stop this dangerous bill in the House this year, it’s going to take a groundswell of opposition from Granite Staters like you. Find your reps HERE, and ask them to oppose HB 254 today.
On Thursday at 8 am, the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention will be hosting a visibility in opposition to physician assisted suicide in front of the State House. Bring a sign, family, and friends to show legislators that Granite Staters are against this deadly policy before they cast their votes!
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
🚨 Act now: Contact your representatives and ask them to oppose HB 254.
📣 Join Our Visibility Thursday: Stand in solidarity with members of the disability, veteran, and brain injury communities who are among the most endangered by assisted suicide. Join the NH Coalition for Suicide Prevention for a visibility in opposition to HB 254 outside of the State House at 8 am on Thursday.
📩 Share this email: Use the link here to forward this update to faith leaders and members of the disability, suicide prevention, and brain injury communities. Also ask them to contact their reps in opposition.
LEARN MORE:
Shannon McGinley, our Executive Director, penned a new op-ed highlighting the coercion that follows whenever assisted suicide is embraced under various guises of choice and compassion.
From Choice to Coercion: How HB 254 Empowers Government Over Life and Death
“Let’s call this what it is – physician assisted suicide (PAS). The path to accepting the unthinkable often runs through digestible terminology, and that is exactly how PAS has been softened to become “medical aid in dying”. This is like adding a sweet coating to a poison pill.
No matter how you phrase it, this is about the forcible termination of human life with the willing participation and enablement of a physician. Rather than acknowledging this harsh and inhuman reality, those who support physician assisted suicide paint an appealing picture of self-determination and individual rights. The act itself is romanticized – soft music, loved ones in attendance, and a graceful letting go of pain and suffering, all on the individual’s own terms. This idealized image, like its softened label, masks the harsh realities of what actually happens when the state gets into the business of sanctioning and enabling suicide.
Rather than being about individual freedom, PAS is about the government establishing the parameters of what defines a life not worth living, including providing the mechanism of death. Given a choice between continuing to invest in costly care for the ill or encouraging patients to die, we’re already seeing what inevitably happens.”
Ask House Committee to Restore the CRT Ban
New Hampshire’s law against teaching discrimination and critical race theory (CRT) in public schools has not been enforced due to agency non-enforcement and a court injunction.
An amendment to HB 50 that is before the House Education Policy and Administration Committee, attempts to provide a solution to the law not being enforced. Unfortunately, although the amendment is harmless, it would not actually address the core issues preventing New Hampshire’s CRT ban from getting up and running. For the law to be effective, the amendment must both require agency enforcement and be carefully crafted to overcome the district court injunction. This week, Cornerstone proposed an amendment that would do just that.
The committee will hold an executive session on HB 50 this Monday, March 17th. Once again, we are calling on our supporters to ask the committee to pass a robust amendment that would restore and strengthen our current law.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
✍️ We urge you to contact the House Education Policy and Administration Committee and ask members to restore the CRT ban by cracking down on agency non-enforcement and addressing the court’s injunction through a robust amendment to HB 50.
📧 You can email the committee here, or by using the button below.
Help Eliminate Unfair Church Taxes & Discrimination
New Hampshire municipalities are unfairly taxing churches on property that houses their employees. SB 291 in its original form would expand churches’ tax exemption to cover housing on the church lot that falls into one of these categories:
- Housing for church employees
- Housing provided as part of a residential program
- Rental units provided as part of the religious mission of the church
Additionally, SB 291 protects churches that operate housing from discriminatory zoning enforcement.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee unfortunately weakened the bill with an amendment limiting housing used for religious purposes to just six units. After Cornerstone and our supporters asked members of the Senate to restore the original bill or raise the number of tax-exempt housing units to no less than 25, the full Senate postponed the vote on this bill until Thursday, March 27th.
Now is the time to remind your Senator that SB 291 is not only about restoring fairness and alleviating churches from undue tax burdens; it removes barriers for churches who want to help resolve the housing crisis in their communities. During her gubernatorial campaign, Gov. Kelly Ayotte stated a key component to solving New Hampshire’s housing crisis is empowering churches and religious organizations to provide more housing. This bill in its original form takes a step towards realizing that vision.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
✍️ Ask the Senate to amend the bill to restore it to its original form, or to raise the number of religious housing units to 25.
📧 Find contact information for your Senator here, or by using the button below.
Support Legislation to Advance Life-Affirming Care
Rather than shutting doors to possible cures, the government should support patients who are fighting for their lives with access to potentially life-saving experimental treatments.
HB 701 would advance life-affirming healthcare in New Hampshire and make our state the best jurisdiction in the country for clinical trials and patients urgently seeking experimental treatment for life-threatening illnesses.
HB 701 has been scheduled for an executive session in the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee on Wednesday, March 19th at 9:30 am.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
📧 Email the members here and ask them to support HB 701.
📺Watch Rep. Lisa Mazur’s testimony to learn how HB 701 would expand and reinforce New Hampshire’s pre-existing Right-to-Try law.
SB 265 Hearing Recap
Last week, the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on SB 265: repealing the provision related to religious use of land and structures. This dangerous bill would allow discrimination against churches, mosques, and all places of worship.
Thankfully, testimony in opposition to it outweighed testimony in support. We are especially grateful to Pastor Shawn Foster of Crossing Life Church in Windham for delivering a powerful testimony about how this bill targets and undermines the ability of churches to minister to the needs of their communities. Watch Pastor Foster’s 3 minute testimony here.
This bill has not yet been slated for an executive session, but we encourage you to share your opposition with committee members and ask them to vote ITL when it comes up for a vote.
📧 Email the members here and ask them to oppose SB 265.
