O P I N I O N
THE SOAPBOX
Stand up. Speak up. It’s your turn
Dear Governor,
I am extremely concerned about the passage of HB2. My specific concerns are regarding sections 36-40 and sections 297-299.
Sections 36-40 refer to the Fetal Life Protection Act. Today, the Committee of Conference decided that they will suspend all operations at a reproductive health facility if they do not certify that no state funds were used to provide abortion services.
The concern is over “suspending all operations” over paperwork, especially considering there has not been any evidence of co-mingling of state funds with other funds that have been used to provide abortion services. Sen. Bradley stated that he knows this, but that this is “an insurance program.” However, this “insurance program” puts reproductive health facilities at risk if they fail to file paperwork. I have no reason to believe that they would start co-mingling their funds when they have a proven record of keeping them separate as it is. When there are extra procedures that have to be completed, it opens up extra ways to fail, which could shut down these facilities.
I have been to Planned Parenthood for multiple reasons: including well woman visits, various tests/annual exams, and to get standard birth control. Planned Parenthood does so much more than just “abortion services,” and they treat their patients with respect and dignity.
Cindy Rosenwald brought up today that it doesn’t seem right that a facility would be shut down when they are operating within their scope of practice. That missing some paperwork seems like an illegitimate reason to cease a facility’s operations. This set-up seems very dangerous for the facilities as well as for the patients they care for.
Sections 297-299 refer to “Right to Freedom from Discrimination,” which is a terrible title given what it entails.
I want to direct you to this link. Please watch this video, which took place at a school board meeting in Exeter. Parents were screaming over this, assuming that teachers are “teaching kids to be racist.” https://youtu.be/U8VAaI_Mq7U
Critical Race Theory does NOT teach racism. It doesn’t teach students to “be racist.” It does the opposite. By teaching students the truth about our nation’s history, we show them how we got to where we are now, and what needs to change so we can improve as a nation.
Our nation’s Constitution literally defines black men as ⅗ of a person. They were enslaved, brutally beaten, and given inhumane conditions in which to live. They took to the Underground Railroad in order to escape this living situation. After they were emancipated, black people STILL didn’t have the full rights that white people had. Jim Crow laws were put in place. Multiple barriers were erected to keep them from voting. Lynchings were considered public entertainment.
Today, getting accepted into college is harder when you’re a black person. Getting a job interview is harder when you’re a black person. Black people make significantly less money than their white counterparts for doing the same work with the same qualifications. They are more likely to be turned down for job promotions.
These statistics are easily verifiable through simple Google searches.
Are teachers NOT supposed to teach this? This is REAL LIFE. Are they supposed to pretend that black people are treated the same as white people when this is obviously not true? Are teachers supposed to figuratively put blinders on their students?
Critical race theory teaches about these issues and events with the intent that once students learn the facts, they can recognize when they see them happening, they can call it out, and they can advocate for justice. Only when these behaviors are recognized and fought against can they be changed so that black people have equal opportunity in this country.
This bill will prevent this from happening. It will make life more difficult for black people, and will make our country even more racist than it already is, considering similar bills are being presented across the nation.
I understand that you cannot line-item veto sections of the budget. Therefore, I urge you to veto HB2 entirely. Make the House and Senate take out Sections 297-299 entirely, as well as the consequences for missing paperwork in sections 36-40 (lines 20-21). These are important issues that the people of New Hampshire simply cannot ignore.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
Candace Moulton, BSN, RN
Robin Vogt: Co-Chair of New Hampshire Progressive Coalition
Attached: Sen. Bradley’s amendment, which was approved today at the Committee of Conference. The rest of HB2 can be found here: https://legiscan.com/NH/text/HB2/2021
