Shaheen: Reproductive Healthcare Still Available for NH Women

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen met Friday with representatives of the Lovering Health Center in Greenland and Planned Parenthood to discuss abortion services and reproductive healthcare in New Hampshire following the U.S. Supreme Court's overturn of Roe vs. Wade.

The decision ended federal protections for abortion and sent them back to the states. Abortions remains legal and accessible in New Hampshire up until the 24th week of pregnancy.

While calling it "pivotal" that New Hampshire residents be aware of available abortion services, Shaheen also blamed Republicans for trying to take away a woman's right to make her own decisions about medical issues and her body.

"Despite the dangerous and disturbing actions of Republicans in New Hampshire and Washington to control women’s bodies and their most private health decisions, we wanted to remind Granite Staters today that providers like Lovering and Planned Parenthood, and lawmakers like those of us in the congressional delegation, will do everything to defend their reproductive rights,” Shaheen said in a statement.

The Lovering Health Center offers a number of sexual and reproductive health services including abortions, emergency contraceptives, STI testing, birth control, and pregnancy testing. Planned Parenthood's mission is to "provide, promote, and protect access to reproductive health care and sexuality education so that all people can make voluntary choices about their reproductive and sexual health," according to its website.

Shaheen's meeting comes as the Freedom to Travel for Health Care Act, which would protect a woman's right to travel to another state for an abortion, was blocked from a vote in the U.S. Senate when no Republican stood to support the bill.

The House passed a similar bill called the Ensuring Access to Abortion Act, which was supported by New Hampshire Democrats Rep. Chris Pappas and Annie Kuster.

President Joe Biden is also considering a request by 80 members of Congress to declare a public health emergency under the Stafford Act as not to "unnecessarily impede lifesaving medical procedures in the event of pregnancy complications or loss." The members also want Biden to ensure access to medication abortion. Pappas and Kuster did not sign the letter.

Contact reporter Dan Alexander at Dan.Alexander@townsquaremedia.com or via Twitter @DanAlexanderNH