This op-ed by Cornerstone’s Shannon McGinley was originally published in the Union Leader 1/22/2025.
When it comes to the question of forcible termination of fetal life, you would think we live in an extremely polarized climate in the Granite State. And no wonder. With political discourse, especially from Democrats and capitulating Republicans, largely focused on extreme views under the deceptive guise of “health care,” the true will of the electorate is often ignored or misrepresented.
Where do voters in the Live Free or Die state stand? Late last year, Cornerstone Action undertook a detailed polling initiative with a Top 10 national polling firm to dig deeper into the question and come up with definitive answers. They polled a representative cross-section of 600 New Hampshire voters across all age groups, political affiliations, and both White and non-White individuals. While the results did not surprise us, they should be an eye-opener for many in our state.
Bottom line: The poll found that a large majority, 60 to 64%, of New Hampshire voters would actually favor a 15-week abortion ban that preserves the state’s current exceptions for the mother’s health and fatal fetal anomalies. Enter HB 476, a 15-week bill sponsored by Rep. Katy Peternel in concert with eight co-sponsors.
Fifteen weeks would still preserve abortion for any reason through the first three and a half months of pregnancy. At 15 weeks, children in utero are fully formed and active. In other words, they “look like a baby.” Standards of medical care for fetal surgery call for the administration of pain medication starting at 15 weeks.
Looking deeper into the electorate, support for a 15-week abortion law would be significant across political groupings. This includes 61 to 62% of undeclared voters and 82 to 88% of Republican women. While not an outright majority, the measure would also enjoy considerable support by 35 to 43% of registered Democrat voters. Significant findings included support for a 15-week abortion ban by a majority of voters aged 18-34, 58 to 64%, as well as a majority of both White and non-White voters.
You might ask just how accurate was this poll? The pollster, Data Orbital, is ranked in the top 3% nationally by FiveThirtyEight, an organization that uses statistical analysis to gauge actual effectiveness of polling data. This ranking places Data Orbital’s reliability above well-known pollsters such as CNN, Quinnipiac, Pew, and Gallup. The poll itself represents the most detailed polling of Granite Staters on abortion to date.
It’s time that the people we elect to represent our interests in Concord stop parroting their party line and start listening to what the voters actually want. It isn’t just Democrats but New Hampshire’s own weakened Republican establishment that needs to rethink their position. Following an administration headed by the most pro-abortion GOP governor in U.S. history and the first to support the total legalization of late-term elective abortion, our new governor, Kelly Ayotte, has promised more of the same. That is not what the voters want or the level of protection our vulnerable preborn children deserve.
The voters have spoken. It’s time for legislators to move forward with the 15-week ban they actually want to see and supporting HB 476 is the way to get there.