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House rejects abortion restrictions

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On Wednesday, February 10 the New Hampshire House of Representatives voted against two bills that would restrict abortion. 

HB 1560 would have prohibited Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) abortion except in medical emergencies.

The majority of the House Judiciary Committee voted against the bill, as did the full House.  Speaking on behalf of the committee, Rep. Linda Kenison noted that D&E is the most common method of second trimester pre-viability abortion, and bans on D&E in other jurisdictions have been ruled unconstitutional. 

“This bill, if passed, will likely force New Hampshire into costly and unnecessary litigation,” wrote Kenison. 

Seven members of the Judiciary Committee voted in favor of the bill.

“The minority believes the dismemberment abortion procedure known as Dilation and Evacuation (D&E) is so monstrous it should be illegal,” wrote Rep. Kurt Wuelper.  “No baby should ever be subjected to being physically torn limb-from-limb, which is precisely what the D&E does.” 

The second bill, HB 1627, would have required doctors to use extraordinary measures to save infants in abortion procedures that show “any evidence of life.”

“There are existing laws, both Federal and State, that extend protections to infants born alive,” wrote Rep. Paul Berch.  “This bill seeks to go beyond these laws ... New Hampshire currently has some of the lowest abortion rates and the best maternal health outcomes in the country, yet we heard testimony that this legislation would threaten the state’s top neonatologists and fetal medicine specialists with prosecution and subject doctors and families to an invasive level of government interference.” 

Once again speaking on behalf of the minority supporting the bill, Rep. Kurt Wuelper wrote, “With criminal cases from other states documenting that hundreds of these babies have been killed (or allowed to die with no care given), we believe our state needs to clearly identify such wanton disregard for living babies a serious crime.” 

Was the House right to reject these bills?  Share your thoughts in the comments below.

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