FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Pro-life community saddened by NH House vote to legalize elective abortions up until birth
HB224 only offers mothers and their children death instead of help
CONCORD, NH (March 23, 2023) – Human rights supporters across the state were saddened by today’s vote of the NH House to legalize abortion through birth.
The current law, the Fetal Life Protection Act (FLPA)[0], is a late-term abortion ban that protects preborn children after 6 months gestation (generally considered viability). It contains broad exceptions for the life and health of mothers and fatal fetal anomalies.
HB224 removes the penalties from the FLPA, making the law unenforceable.
Legalizing abortion until birth is extreme no matter which levels you look at:
* State: Over 70% of NH residents agree with abortion restrictions
* US: 43 states have protections at 6 months or earlier
* World: only 7 countries (including those known for their other human rights abuses like North Korea and China) have no law to protect preborn children from abortion
* Almost all European countries ban abortion after the first trimester, whereas the FLPA is a third-trimester ban.
Late-term abortions are also known to be much riskier for the mother than birth[1].
“It’s clear we still have a lot of work to do to convince our legislators that life should continue to be protected, especially for preborn babies that can survive on their own. Rather than offering help to NH mothers and their children, HB224 only offers a child’s death as a solution through risky late-term abortions,” said Jason Hennessey, President of NH Right to Life.
0: RSA 329:43-50, available at https://www.gencourt.state.nh.
