Ilana Cass

I oppose HB1590 on the grounds that it will harm the women of New Hampshire. A 20-week limitation of a woman and her partner's ability to see a pregnancy termination is unjust and intervenes in the woman's ability to exercise self-determination. A woman has the right to choose what is best for herself and to erode this autonomy is precarious and does not align with our values. More insidious is the impact this bill, if approved, would have on our already constrained Ob Gyn work force in New Hampshire. Given the limited access we have to well-trained OB Gyn providers, criminalizing pregnancy termination and associated monetary damages will deter OB Gyn providers from coming to work in new Hamshire. We have seen these phenomena play out in many other states across the Union in which such penalties result in an exodus of Ob Gyn providers. Our current access to Ob Gyn care in New Hampshire is already constrained, and projections in the next 5-10 year suggest there will be dramatic shortage of Ob Gyn care. This bill will only exacerbate this impending shortage and imperil the lives of women and their families in New Hampshire.