MANCHESTER, NH – A mandatory abortion reporting bill, HB 471, failed to pass on January 3, with a vote of 165 to 189. Six Manchester state reps voted for it.
Kathleen F. Souza (R) sponsored the bill and voted for it. Other “Yea” votes included Lisa M. Freeman (R), Larry Gagne (R), Mark McLean (R), Barbara E. Shaw (D), and Victoria Sullivan (R).
HB471 would have forced doctors to collect and report information to the state on women receiving abortions, so that the department of Health and Human Services (HHS) could publish an annual, statistical report.
Souza explained her vote: “We in New Hampshire want the statistics so that we pro-life people can help women better by targeting our work for them.”
McLean said, “There were a staggering amount of abortions by Planned Parenthood last year. Whether you are pro-choice or pro-life, that is certainly something that would be of concern, regardless of the safety of the procedure. Getting the driving forces would be valid. According to the testimony, there are a lot of safeguards put in place to protect the data and keep it anonymous.”
Shaw said, “I made a mistake. I’m usually a pro-choice person. I read that it strengthens patient privacy and security requirements, and that’s what I went on.”
Conservative think tank Cornerstone Action favored the legislation, noting that New Hampshire “lags behind” other states in reporting abortion statistics to the Centers for Disease Control.
The bill was endorsed by Catholic Diocese of Manchester in February, 2017.
It was opposed by the ACLU of New Hampshire, which criticized its violation of privacy, the lack of medical necessity, and the cost of $162,000 or more.
Mindi Messmer (D-Rye), a candidate for Congress in District One, wrote, “If it ended up in the wrong hands, the information would expose highly private and sensitive information.”
Messmer stated that in 2016, “The HHS database was breached when a hospital patient accessed and posted medical records for 15,000 patients on the Internet. HB 471 would have resulted in the state collecting, and storing, highly personal identification, including patient age, estimated gestational age, use of contraception and method of termination, plus doctor identification and the providing facility.”
Find the full roll call vote here.
