ICYMI: Senate Judiciary Adds Abortion Restriction Despite Six-Figure GOP Campaign Vowing to Leave Abortion Laws Alone
- Amplify NH
- Nov 13
- 4 min read
“After promising voters they would leave abortion laws alone, GOP leadership has determined their first order of business for 2026 will be an abortion restriction. They clearly never intended to keep their word, and instead are focused on bills that incite fear and show that they don’t trust New Hampshire patients who are seeking safe, legal health care.”
- Kayla Montgomery, VP of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund
In case you missed it, Planned Parenthood recently released a statement on the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee’s amending of HB 191, adding restrictions for patients seeking safe, legal abortion care. The amendment passed 3-2 on party lines, contradicting Republican leaders' past promises not to further restrict abortion, and will go before the full Senate in early January once the legislative session begins.
Read The Statement From Planned Parenthood Below
Senate Judiciary Adds Abortion Restriction Despite Six-Figure GOP Campaign Vowing to Leave Abortion Laws Alone
HB 191 takes aim at abortion, one year after GOP leadership pledged otherwise
(Concord) - Yesterday, the New Hampshire Senate Judiciary Committee amended HB 191, adding restrictions for patients seeking safe, legal abortion care. New Hampshire’s current law already requires patients under 18 notify their parent at least 48 hours prior to abortion care; this bill could criminalize an individual simply driving the patient to their appointment. Despite Republican leaders' promises not to further restrict abortion, the amendment passed 3-2 on party lines and will go before the full Senate in early January.
During the Executive Session in the House Criminal Justice and Public Safety committee in the spring, Chairman Terry Roy offered an amendment specifically to remove the attack on abortion, stating: “... so we heard the testimony on this bill and it was all about abortion. And while I may personally agree with the sponsor, we had a commitment to our constituents that we were going to leave the abortion laws the way they were."
During yesterday’s Executive Session, the Senate Judiciary Committee added the attack on abortion back into the bill, with Sen. Abbas saying: “We’re trying to clarify that any surgical procedure would apply. This isn’t just applying to the issue of abortion.” Sen. Altschiller, who voted against the amendment, asked, “Why are we bringing abortion back as a discussion?” The question remained unanswered, and instead, Chairman Bill Gannon immediately called for a vote, setting the stage for New Hampshire’s anti-abortion fights in the 2026 legislative session.
Kayla Montgomery, VP of Public Affairs, Planned Parenthood NH Action Fund:“After promising voters they would leave abortion laws alone, GOP leadership has determined their first order of business for 2026 will be an abortion restriction. They clearly never intended to keep their word, and instead are focused on bills that incite fear and show that they don’t trust New Hampshire patients who are seeking safe, legal health care. Our health care system is on the brink - we know that Granite Staters want leaders to prioritize lowering health care costs and keeping health centers open, not more restrictions and barriers for people needing abortion care. This bill must be rejected immediately.”
Campaign Promises:
On June 24, 2024, the 2-year anniversary of the overturning of Roe v Wade, GOP Chairman Ager hosted a press conference kicking off a six-figure awareness campaign about New Hampshire’s abortion laws and the GOP’s commitment not to change them. Senate President, and Senate Judiciary Committee member, Sharon Carson was one of the featured speakers. GOP leadership sent a press release titled “Republican Policy Reflects Granite State Values,” which has since disappeared from their website, though is still available from the Internet Archive.
“‘Current law stipulates that abortion is legal through 24 weeks, which is six months of pregnancy, for any reason. After that, abortion is legal for certain reasons, including the health of the mother or fatal fetal syndromes,’ [Rep.] Jodi [Nelson] continued. ‘When re-elected to the majority, this will not change.’”
On September 16, 2024, House GOP leadership unveiled 10 promises to voters, one being to protect “common-sense abortion laws.” Yet HB 191, as amended, would further restrict abortion care in New Hampshire.
On January 9th, 2025, Governor Ayotte said in her closing statement of her Inaugural Address “If you [the legislature] send me legislation that further restricts access to abortion beyond our current law: I will veto it.”
Background on HB 191:
It’s important to note that abortion is not a surgical procedure. The bill originally criminalized those who drive patients to a surgical appointment and would not have impacted abortion care since abortion is not a surgery. However, the amended version of the bill explicitly includes abortion-- both medication abortion and procedural abortion.
This bill is a solution in search of a problem. New Hampshire law already requires parental notification prior to abortion; the law also allows for a judicial bypass. Neither are accounted for in this bill.
As of today, there are multiple 2026 LSRs that aim to shut down abortion providers through targeted attacks, restrict access to birth control and abortion care, and amplify medical disinformation about reproductive health care – all part of a broader strategy to push abortion out of reach entirely, no matter the legal status.
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Thank you,
Emma Carroll
Digital Director, Amplify NH
