Reproductive Equity Now Launches 2025 New Hampshire Legislative Agenda

The organization will prioritize continued expansion of maternal and postpartum care, affirming the right to abortion, and defending against anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ attacks 

CONCORD (January 27, 2025) – Reproductive Equity Now is today announcing its agenda for the 2025 New Hampshire legislative session. The organization’s priorities are aimed at improving maternal health outcomes in the state, affirming the right to abortion care, and defending against continued anti-abortion and anti-LGBTQ attacks.

The organization’s 2025 pro-active priorities include: 

1. Expanding access to maternal and postpartum care
   New Hampshire moms continue to face large gaps in maternal health and wellness. Behavioral health struggles, including substance overdoses, are the leading cause of maternal mortality in New Hampshire. In the past two decades, 11 maternity wards in the state have closed, and Granite Staters continue to face threats to our already-fragile maternal health ecosystem. That’s why Reproductive Equity Now is advocating for the bipartisan Momnibus 2.0 (SB 246), legislation that builds off of 2023’s Momnibus package to support moms in the Granite State. This bill will help address maternal depression and anxiety, fill gaps in maternal health care services and postpartum support, support moms after they give birth, and lower costs for working families.

2. Affirming that abortion is a critical component of reproductive health care
   Abortion is basic reproductive health care that gives people the freedom to fully control our bodies, lives, and futures. New Hampshire must acknowledge that abortion access is critical to ensuring that everyone can live, thrive, and raise families in healthy communities. That includes being able to get the care we need without worrying about threats to our health, freedom, or well-being. Reproductive Equity Now is proud to support HCR 7, a resolution to affirm that abortion is a critical component of reproductive health care.

“With an anti-abortion trifecta in the New Hampshire state government, we know that we need to be prepared to fight back against continued attacks on abortion and the LGBTQ+ community, while simultaneously pushing for proactive advances in reproductive equity,” said Christina Warriner, New Hampshire State Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “We have already seen politicians—who pledged not to change New Hampshire’s abortion law—file legislation to limit access to abortion care, criminalize people who help young people access abortion, and promote anti-abortion disinformation and propaganda in schools. We will also be facing unprecedented anti-abortion extremism from the federal government, making it clear that New Hampshire needs to take decisive action to affirm that abortion is a critical part of reproductive health care and a human right for all Granite Staters.”

Among the anti-abortion legislation that Reproductive Equity Now intends to fight against: 

1. A bill relative to restrictions on elective abortion: Rep. Katy Peternel (R) has introduced a bill in the legislature to ban abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy (HB 476). This abortion ban would have devastating health and economic consequences for patients, and prevent providers from offering the best medical care to Granite Staters. Reproductive health care decisions should be between a patient and their doctor, without political interference, no matter what. Without federal protections for care, it is critical that we do not allow the right to abortion to be further eroded in New Hampshire.

2. A bill providing criminal and civil penalties for the recruitment, harboring, or transporting of a pregnant unemancipated minor in order to obtain an abortion without parental permission: This legislation (HB 191), introduced by Rep. Glenn Cordelli (R), is intended to criminalize transporting young people to abortion appointments. “Travel bans,” which have already been blocked by courts in several states, are another step in anti-abortion extremists’ playbook to make abortion completely unattainable. This bill is a reckless and costly attempt to strip freedom away from Granite Staters.

3. Two bills restricting access to transgender health care: Last session, we saw New Hampshire Republicans pass several anti-LGBTQ bills, including one to ban Medicaid coverage of gender-affirming surgeries for young people. Now, anti-LGTBQ lawmakers are continuing their work to ban transgender health care by introducing a bill to ban access to essential gender-affirming medication (HB 377), and another to ban gender-affirming surgeries for young people in entirety (HB 712).

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