New Hampshire House Rejects Ban on Taxpayer-Funded Abortions
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 20, 2004
Concord, NH (LifeNews.com) — The New Hampshire state House has balked at supporting a bill that would have prevented state taxpayer funds from being used to pay for abortions. The pro-life legislation would also have ensured that public facilities and state employees could be not involved with abortions because both are paid for with tax dollars.
The New Hampshire house voted 217-109 to defeat the legislation.
The pro-life legislation may have been defeated in part because it was too comprehensive. Some lawmakers said a bill that only banned tax-funded abortions may have survived.
The bill in question would also have required a second doctor’s opinion as to whether an abortion was necessary to save a woman’s life, in such rare cases. It also would have given New Hampshire taxpayers standing to sue to enforce the legislation.
Rep. Bette Lasky (D-Nashua) said the legislation would have put New Hampshire’s federal Medicaid dollars at risk because no current tax funds are used to pay for abortions other than in cases of rape and incest, which federal law requires to receive the Medicaid money.
But, according to the Associated Press, Rep. Timothy Easson (R-Farmington) said abortion facilities use federal family planning funds to free up money for abortions.
"Money is money," he said. "Since they budget for public funds, they are expecting a subsidy."
Easson proposed two amendments that would have dropped other parts of the bill to focus just on the taxpayer funded abortions. The House did not consider the amendments.
The New Hampshire legislature is poised to consider other pro-life legislation. Some of the other bills include:
HB 1177 that would require the Department of Health and Humans Services to compile data on the number of abortions performed each year in New Hampshire. In addition, the bill would restrict non-physician providers from performing abortions.
HB 1340 that would require abortion practitioners to provide women with information about abortion risks and dangers prior to performing the abortion.
HB 1147 that would allow prosecutors to charge criminals who assault pregnant women with an additional crime when their actions result in the death of or injury to the unborn child.
A hearing is scheduled for March 2 before the Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee.
Related web sites:
See how your legislator voted – https://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/rollcall/rollcallsbyvotedetail.asp?sessionyear=2004&voteno=44&body=H
New Hampshire Citizens for Life – https://www.citizensforlife.org
