Union Leader | Family planning contracts tied to anti-abortion language
By Kevin Landrigan
Story Originally Appeared in the New Hampshire Union Leader
CONCORD — After months of lobbying behind the scenes, the state Executive Council will decide Wednesday whether it will ignore anti-abortion language in state law and award family planning contracts to three providers that operate abortion clinics in New Hampshire.
In September 2021, the council first voted, 4-1, to reject giving contracts to Planned Parenthood, the Concord Feminist Health Center and the Feminist Health Center in Portsmouth.
They have voted three times since then in similar fashion over the objection of Gov. Chris Sununu, who supports the contracts.
Councilors cited a state law change attached to the state budget passed in June 2021 that prevented the use of state taxpayer dollars to support family planning contracts for any providers that perform abortions.
The first-ever abortion ban after 24 weeks was contained in that state budget trailer bill Sununu signed.
The same bill also required that the programs undergo financial audits to confirm that any abortions performed are “physically and financially separate” from other reproductive services such as cancer screenings.
Attorney General John Formella’s office had concluded an audit of these providers confirmed these providers offered that separation.
Reproductive Equity Now, a New England-based organization supporting abortion rights, delivered a petition Tuesday to the Executive Council with 450 signatures supporting the contracts.
New Hampshire’s Family Planning Program supports New Hampshire’s reproductive and sexual health clinics in providing basic, essential health care to Granite Staters, including birth control, annual exams, pregnancy tests, tests and treatment for sexually-transmitted diseases, and cancer screenings.
The program prioritizes subsidized care for low-income and uninsured patients.
“This petition is a clear mandate from New Hampshire voters that the Executive Council must stand with our state’s clinics and the patients they serve and fund Family Planning Programs. Enough is enough. Support our health care,” said Christina Warriner, the New Hampshire state director of the organization.
Anti-abortion activists have lodged their own outreach to urge all four Republican councilors to maintain their opposition to the contracts.
The lone Democrat on the council, Cinde Warmington of Concord, has supported the grants and is running for governor in 2024.
The council has approved family planning for four other providers that don’t perform abortions, the Belknap-Merrimack County Community Action Program in Laconia, Lamprey Health Care of Newmarket, Amoskeag Health of Manchester and Coos County Family Health in Berlin.
The council is being asked Wednesday to extend those contracts through June 2025 at a cost of $1.65 million. Federal money provides about two-thirds of these contracts with the state paying the other third.
The contracts for the three abortion providers total nearly $1.3 million. State dollars from the General Fund would make up between 56% to 80% of those contracts.
