Abortion

On Valentine’s Day in New Hampshire, Abortion Rights Activists Will Honor Access While Opponents Try to Take It Away

Pro-choice and anti-choice advocates will be busy at the New Hampshire state house on Valentine's Day this year.

Heartbeat ban-promoting balloons in Ohio. Jezebel

Valentine’s Day is a favorite of anti-choice activists in Ohio who use it to push for a heartbeat ban. (Get it? Hearts!).

This year, New Hampshire is getting in on the act, too.

The New Hampshire House Judiciary will spend its Valentine’s Day reviewing a new bill to forcing women to wait 24 hours after their first appointment and subjecting them to state-scripted, biased “informed consent” counseling prior to terminating a pregnancy.  HB 483 is nearly identical to every bill that has proceeded it—all of which have been rejected and never signed into law.

“Anti-choicers are apparently hoping eight times is a charm with this legislation,” Sara Persechino, Policy and Community Relations Director for NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire told Rewire.

According to Persechino, a “Women’s Right to Know” bill has been introduced in the House on and off since 1998, and nearly every year since 2004 on. Some versions mandated the use of biased and erroneous counseling materials. Others added in parental consent requirements. And in some years a 24-hour waiting period was included.

All have failed.

Still, on this Valentine’s Day, anti-choice advocates won’t be the only one on the floor. Advocates for a woman’s right to choose will be gathering to testify on behalf of HR 6, a resolution meant to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision and celebrate a woman’s right to control her own reproduction. “Now is the time for our legislators to stand with New Hampshire’s pro-choice majority and recognize the importance of the Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision and reaffirm their commitment to ensuring continued access to safe and legal abortion care for all women,” said Persechino via press release. NARAL Pro-Choice New Hampshire is a supporter of the resolution.

Biased “informed consent” information in the Judiciary committee and a commemoration of Roe in the Health and Human Services committee? It’s going to be a very busy Valentine’s Day in the state house.