We are in the final days of this legislative session with two important measures nearing the finish line. Whether they are successful or not depends on your support. Please take a few minutes to contact your representative and the Governor on Sections 37-40 of HB 2 and HB 542 and urge others to do the same.
Sections 37-40 of HB 2: Fetal Life Protection Act
STATUS: Sections 37-40 of HB 2, the State Budget, now contain a late-term abortion ban: the Fetal Life Protection Act. Thanks to a floor amendment by Senators Birdsell and Carson, the Senate has already repaired all of the problems with a previous version of the ban. All we need to do now is make surethat the House accepts the Senate version of Sections 37-40 with no further alterations whatsoever.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
1. Contact your State Representatives
2. Contact Governor Sununu
In both cases, urge them to pass the state budget with sections 37-40 completely unaltered from the version passed by the NH State Senate.
Sections 37-40 of the budget adopt the language of HB 625, the Fetal Life Protection Act, and the Carson-Birdsell amendments, to create a 24-week abortion ban that would be able to withstand possible court action. It is extremely important that they are passed without change. The wording for these sections of the HB 2 was developed in consultation with scholars of abortion law, and even small and seemingly innocuous edits to the language can weaken and destroy such a bill. For more information, see our blog post on the Senate’s decision.
HB 542, The Religious Liberty Act
STATUS: The Senate voted to pass HB 542 with amendment. The Senate-amended bill will now go back to the House for a final vote.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: Please contact your representatives and ask them to support the Senate version of HB 542 to ensure our freedom to worship is considered as essential as other services during a declared emergency.