Legislative Update Week of June 26, 2023 Upcoming Vote on Pro-Sexual Harassment Bill 1. Contact your Reps to vote NO on the Committee of Conference version of HB 315. 2. Contact your Senator to vote NO on the Committee of Conference version of HB 315. Last week, rather than register a final vote, the New Hampshire House voted to send HB 315 to a committee of conference, where it would be further deliberated. HB 315, the “gay panic” bill, in the version most recently passed by the Senate and presented to the House before it was sent to a committee of conference, would have put the safety of women throughout the state at risk. This past week, the committee of conference on HB 315 met to reconcile the two versions of HB 315. Unfortunately, the final wording agreed on retains the deeply problematic language of both the original and the Senate versions of the bill. If passed, the committee of conference version of HB 315 would still provide protection to predatory males who sexually harass and threaten women. If passed in its current form, a woman would cease to be able to cite unwanted sexual harassment as provocation were she to kill a man and be tried for murder, unless the man actually used physical force on her. Given how clear we have been about the implications of this bill, it is shocking that this language is still included in HB 315. Please contact both your representatives and senator and ask that they vote “no” on the committee of conference version of HB 315. CONTACT YOUR REPS and CONTACT YOUR SENATOR  Cornerstone Executive Director Shannon McGinley celebrates the anniversary of the Dobbs decision to overturn Roe v. Wade! Celebrating Life One Year Post Roe One year ago today, on June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the United States issued the Dobbs decision, declaring that abortion was not a right protected by the American Constitution. Following this decision, the issue of abortion has now been returned entirely to the states. Since the Dobbs decision, 20 states have banned or restricted abortion. According to latest reports, in the first 6 months after the overturn of Roe v. Wade, there were 32,260 cumulative fewer abortions, with an average of 5,377 fewer abortions performed per month in the United States. As encouraging as these numbers are, this first year anniversary also serves as a reminder that the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, while a notable chapter in our fight for life, is also being leveraged for fierce opposition. We are facing an even tougher battle ahead. In New Hampshire, recent polling shows that the majority of Granite Staters either support New Hampshire’s current six-month limit on abortion or want a more restrictive abortion ban. Yet the people’s views on abortion are, unfortunately, not at all reflected in the composition of our state government. In our state capitol, every Democrat and several Republicans now consistently vote to allow abortion for any reason until the moment of birth. Earlier this year, the Senate blocked the House passed HB 224, a bill effectively allowing unrestricted abortion up to the moment of birth. Every Democrat representative voted in favor of HB 224, while 16 Republicans also supported the bill. HB 224 was yet another attack in the continuous legislative onslaught on life in the Granite State. As Shannon recently stated, “Democrats try to give the false impression that most Granite Staters support their views. In fact every single poll that asks Granite Staters if they support legal abortion until birth shows that only a minority of our state shares the Democratic Party’s position. Democrats’ continued calls to remove all penalties whatsoever from our late-term abortion ban and the willingness of some Republicans to follow their lead shows the transparently cynical contempt and disregard that they all have for the voters in the state. They truly believe that Granite Staters are all too stupid to understand how removing all penalties from a law is no different from repealing it. “ In response to the unrelenting push to remove any protections for the preborn, we must redouble our efforts to protect life across the state and the nation. Our priority must be to protect against further attacks on life from Governor Sununu, the Democrats, and now a contingent of Republicans openly supporting unlimited abortion. Fortunately, the pro-life movement in our state is robust and growing, and the deranged extremism of abortion advocates has only made it stronger and more unstoppable. Abortion harms both mother and child, creating a gaping wound in both hearts and culture. Women and their children deserve better than abortion. For those struggling to find pregnancy options, or to heal after an abortion, we urge you to visit Cornerstone’s resource page for information on where you can find support. |
Please follow and like us:
