Over 200 New Hampshire Health Care Providers Sign Petition Against Statewide Birth Control Restrictions
READ HERE: Boston Globe reports on petition organized by Reproductive Equity Now, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, and coalition of New Hampshire-based reproductive advocates
CONCORD (June 5, 2025) – A coalition of reproductive rights organizations and advocates across New Hampshire, including Reproductive Equity Now and Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, released a petition, including signatures from over 200 New Hampshire-based health care providers, against legislation that would restrict access to confidential birth control for teens. Today, lawmakers in both the House and the Senate will vote on the passage of the amended legislation.
“Young people deserve access to trusted, confidential care—especially when it comes to making decisions about their health and their futures,” said Christina Warriner, New Hampshire State Director for Reproductive Equity Now. “We urge New Hampshire lawmakers and Governor Ayotte to listen to our health care providers, follow the evidence, and reject any policy that interferes with teens’ access to confidential birth control. Now is the time to protect and expand—not restrict —reproductive freedom in our state.”
“All major health care associations consistently advocate for young people to have confidential access to birth control, which is why it's not surprising to see hundreds of providers in New Hampshire oppose this legislation. We all want young people to be safe and healthy, but creating new barriers for teens to prevent pregnancy does nothing to further that goal. Decades of data demonstrate that when young people are forced to seek parental consent for sexual and reproductive health care services, they are less likely to get the care they need and more likely to face harmful, sometimes even dangerous, consequences," said Kayla Montgomery, Vice President of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund/Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
A total of 212 New Hampshire health care providers from across the state signed this petition directed to New Hampshire lawmakers and Governor Kelly Ayotte. Explicitly, this petition states that effective teen pregnancy prevention strategies include the right to confidential contraception, and urges the state not to roll back the progress we have made in ensuring young people have agency over their own sexual health and reproductive futures. A copy of the petition can be found HERE.
New Hampshire currently has the lowest teen pregnancy rate in the nation, due largely to the current availability of preventative services for those who need them. In March, the New Hampshire House advanced a state budget proposal that fully eliminates the New Hampshire Family Planning Program. New Hampshire Family Planning Program, a program with a 53-year history of providing low-cost, preventative sexual and reproductive health care, including birth control, to thousands of Granite Staters.
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