NHRTL Celebrates Folsom Amendment Adoption to HB1609
New Hampshire Right to Life (NHRTL) praises the committee for continuing to uphold NH’s protections for unborn babies that can live outside of the womb. The original HB1609 would have critically weakened NH’s protection for unborn life by adding several exceptions to the FLPA and removing its ultrasound requirement (which would make the FLPA unenforceable). HHSEA recommended passage of HB1609 with Rep Folsom’s amendment, which clarifies that an ultrasound is only required if the provider believes there is a substantial risk that an unborn child is at least 24 weeks in the womb.
During the 2 hours of hearings [3], several testified about the many reasons why the FLPA doesn’t require the originally proposed exceptions, including: by 24 weeks, expecting mothers have had months to get an abortion in cases of rape and incest; the FLPA never required an invasive, transvaginal ultrasound (just an obstetric one to determine whether the unborn child is at least 24 weeks, for which abdominal is sufficient); the FLPA already has no criminal penalty for abortion providers who don’t perform an ultrasound if it’s readily apparent that the child is not close to 24 weeks; and examples of unborn babies diagnosed with “fatal fetal anomalies” who were born and thrived.
In contrast, multiple supporters of the original HB1609 (including one representing Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center) were unable to answer Vice-Chair Rep Erica Layon’s question about whether there were cases where mothers would be better served giving birth (induced or via C-section) vs having a late-term abortion. Perhaps Rep. Layon was asking due to the evidence that birth is actually safer for the mother than late-term abortions at 24 weeks and later [4].
1: https://www.plannedparenthood.
2: RSA 329:43-50
3: HB1609 hearing starts at 20:33. https://www.youtube.com/watch?
4: “In addition, the risk of immediate maternal death from elective abortion procedures done after 20 weeks is greater than the risk of death from [a] vaginal birth or cesarean section. Induction abortions are riskier than D&E abortions.” (includes citations). Post-Viability Abortion Bans (20 weeks post-fertilization). Professional Ethics Committee of AAPLOG. 2017. https://aaplog.org/wp-content/
