Amidst National Attacks on Mifepristone, New Hampshire House, Senate Demonstrate Support for Medication Abortion Access
HCR 11, which passed the House 196 to 151, condemns scientifically-baseless attacks on mifepristone
SB 567, which passed the Senate, directs HHS to compile report on ways to protect & expand access to medication abortion
CONCORD (February 15, 2024) – Ahead of next month’s oral arguments in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine before the U.S. Supreme Court, both the New Hampshire House of Representatives and the New Hampshire Senate today passed bills that demonstrate support for medication abortion access. HCR 11, which condemns political attacks on mifepristone, passed the House with robust bipartisan support, on a vote of 196 to 151 in favor of the ought-to-pass motion. SB 567, which calls upon the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services to compile a report on the availability of mifepristone and misoprostol, passed on a voice vote.
“Reproductive freedom is a core Granite State value, and today the New Hampshire House and Senate reaffirmed our state’s commitment to medication abortion access by passing HCR 11 and SB 567,” said Christina Warriner, New Hampshire State Director for Reproductive Equity Now. “Medication abortion is critical to providing reproductive health care to patients across the state, especially in rural areas and regions without brick-and-mortar abortion clinics. With threats against medication abortion looming at the Supreme Court, we’re grateful to the New Hampshire Legislature for taking this decisive action and making it clear that New Hampshire will continue to stand up for reproductive freedom, regardless of how politicians or judges across the country may act.”
The Granite State has a long history of supporting access to medication abortion. The passages of HCR 11 and SB 567 echo action the New Hampshire House took in 1991, when legislators passed a resolution calling on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin clinical trials on mifepristone.
Mifepristone is one of two drugs used in the gold-standard medication abortion protocol. Since its FDA approval in 2000, mifepristone has been used more than five million times nationwide, with a 99% safety rate and more than a 95% efficacy rate. Under current FDA authorization, mifepristone is dispensed by a certified health care provider or pharmacist and can be used up to 10 weeks of pregnancy.
This March, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in U.S. Food and Drug Administration v. Alliance for Hippocratic Medicine, a baseless case brought forth by anti-abortion activists to challenge the current FDA approval of mifepristone. Reproductive Equity Now’s statement on the Supreme Court granting cert to this case is available here.
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