New Hampshire Women’s Health Protection Act (HB 1501)

HB 1501 would have required that all abortion facilities in the state of New Hampshire be licensed by the health and human services department.  The bill would have required each facility to obtain a six-month provisional license, followed by an annual renewal.  An application fee of $100 would have been required for each license and subsequent renewal.

HB 1501 would have also required the state Department of Health and Human Services to establish “minimum standards” for all operating abortion clinics, including but not limited to:

• Prior to issuing or reissuing a license, the department would have conducted onsite inspections to ensure compliance.
• Policies and procedures would have been established for conducting inspections and investigations pursuant to complaints made against any abortion clinic
• All facilities would have been required to have ultrasound equipment.
• An ultrasound evaluation would have been required for any patient electing to have an abortion after 12 weeks gestation.
• A physician with admitting privileges at an accredited local hospital in the state would have had to remain on the premises until all patients were stable and ready to leave the recovery room.

If anyone operated an abortion clinic without the required license, they would have faced a class A misdemeanor.  Anyone that violated any of the rules or minimum standards for operating an abortion facility would have been subject to a civil penalty up to $250.

STATUS

Died in committee.

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