New Hampshire Senate Rejects Codifying Right to Abortion into State Law
New Hampshire is the only New England state without a statutory right to abortion
SB 260 would have codified the right to abortion until 24 weeks into state law
CONCORD (March 27, 2025) – Today the New Hampshire Senate voted 16-8 to defeat SB 260, a proposed bill that would have codified the right to abortion care before 24 weeks into state law.
“Granite Staters deserve reassurance that their reproductive rights and autonomy are protected. Unfortunately, the Senate majority failed to take up the opportunity to do just that by rejecting yet another attempt to protect these rights in state law,” said Christina Warriner, New Hampshire State Director for Reproductive Equity Now. “Every day, new threats to abortion access appear across our country. While advocates in New Hampshire continue to present countless legislative proposals that would protect the right to abortion for Granite Staters amidst national uncertainty, anti-abortion legislators continue to block the passage of these safeguards. We will not stand for this continued refusal to protect our rights and freedoms, and we will continue to push for increased and protected access to abortion and the full spectrum of reproductive healthcare in New Hampshire.”
Courtney Reed, Policy Advocate at the ACLU of New Hampshire, said, “In an uncertain and frightening post-Roe world, legislators should go forward with the effort to protect the right to abortion in New Hampshire law. We are deeply disappointed that New Hampshire, as the only state in New England without proactive protections in law, has once again failed to pass legislation that would safeguard all Granite Staters’ right to abortion. We will continue fighting to protect all Granite Staters’ right to this critical and personal healthcare.”
Sandi Denoncour, Executive Director of Lovering Health Center, said, “We have been providing abortion care in the Granite State for over 45 years. It is long past time for our state to protect reproductive autonomy and ensure that care is available in our future. The threats to abortion care and to those who seek it across our country are overt and hostile. New Hampshire citizens and providers deserve stronger legal protection and SB 260 was the way for elected officials to deliver. Everyone who cares about bodily autonomy and reproductive choice should be paying close attention to this moment.”
Jinelle Hall, Executive Director of Equality Health Center, said, “The failure to advance SB 260 is the latest blow in a series of missed opportunities for the Granite State’s elected officials to do right by their constituents by protecting access to critical reproductive healthcare. Proud abortion care providers since 1974, we at Equality Health Center are deeply disappointed in the Senate majority’s failure to deliver on what New Hampshire citizens all deserve: protection of the right to control their bodies and make empowered decisions about their health and family with their heathcare provider. Period."
Liz Canada, Advocacy Director of Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund said, “We are disappointed that the state Senate chose to ignore the supermajority of Granite Staters who support abortion rights by opposing this bill. Yet Planned Parenthood and supporters of reproductive rights remain committed to providing this critical care for patients and fighting for everyone’s decision to make the personal, private health care decisions that are right for them and their family - no matter what.”
Devan Quinn, Director of Policy at the New Hampshire Women’s Foundation, said, “New Hampshire women deserve access to the full range of reproductive health care, including abortion, which remain crucial to women’s health, economic security, and long-term impacts on women and their families. Access to reproductive health care, including abortion, provides opportunities for women to further their education, strengthen their economic security, and improve their ability to parent existing or future children, if they choose.”
Reproductive Equity Now, ACLU of New Hampshire, Lovering Health Center, Equality Health Center, Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, and New Hampshire Women’s Foundation are part of a coalition of advocates that recruited thousands of Granite Staters to encourage their legislators to support both SB 260 and its House companion bill, HCR 7, after both received unfavorable recommendations on party lines from their respective committees. HCR 7 was tabled by the New Hampshire House last week.
Last week, lead sponsor of SB 260, Senator Debra Altschiller (D-Stratham), alongside HCR 7 co-sponsor State Representative Mary Hakken-Phillips (D-Hanover), wrote an op-ed, titled “Abortion Is Basic Health Care,” urging the New Hampshire Legislature to affirm Granite Staters’ right to abortion care.
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SB 260 is among Reproductive Equity Now’s 2025 legislative priorities for New Hampshire. This January, Reproductive Equity Now announced its legislative agenda for the 2025 New Hampshire legislative session, which additionally focused on improving maternal health outcomes in the state and defending against continued anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ attacks.
