Sununu Says Abortions Will Remain 'Safe And Legal' In New Hampshire, As Providers Voice Concerns
CONCORD, NH (CBS) - Some abortion providers in New Hampshire are voicing concerns about the future of access in the Granite State after a draft opinion was leaked, suggesting the Supreme Court will overturn Roe v. Wade. The leaked opinion was first published by POLITICO.
"Given the political climate that we have today, it's really hard to think that they will improve access instead of restricting access," said Dalia Vidunas, the executive director of Equality Health Center in Concord.
Over the winter, New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu signed into law a ban on abortions after 24 weeks of gestation. The law also requires women to undergo an ultrasound before receiving an abortion. The law only lists danger to the life of the mother as an exception to the 24-week ban.
Vidunas worries that New Hampshire lawmakers, spurred by the Supreme Court's draft opinion, will further restrict abortions.
"This year alone we had two bills for codifying Roe v. Wade, and those got shot down," she said.
On Tuesday, Governor Sununu maintained that he would protect access to abortion as governor of New Hampshire.
"I'm a pro-choice governor and as long as I'm governor, we're going to remain a pro-choice state," he said.
He dismissed the argument by some that the state's abortion law is extreme and said he will sign a bill getting rid of the ultrasound requirement and including fatal fetal abnormalities as an exception to the 24-week ban.
"The majority of pro-choice individuals do support a ban after 24 weeks. We have it, Massachusetts has it, New York has it. Those aren't extreme states either," Sununu said.
Sununu also said he would not support a move by some lawmakers to ban buffer zones which keep protestors at certain distances from abortion clinics.
In a statement the New Hampshire House Majority Leader, Jason Osborne (R-Auburn) said, "As a Representative of the People, I am committed to advocating for policy supported by Granite Staters. In the past year, pro-choice and pro-life legislators came together to settle on a prohibition of the most extreme and unnecessary late-term abortions. Any forthcoming Supreme Court decision will not change New Hampshire's position."