The New Hampshire Senate is expected to vote on two major abortion bills Thursday.
The bills, largely backed by Democrats, passed the House last month with some bipartisan support. One would explicitly protect abortion rights under state law, though it would not change any existing restrictions.
The other would remove civil and criminal penalties for medical providers from the state’s 24-week abortion ban. That bill’s lead sponsor is Republican Rep. Dan Wolf, and Gov. Chris Sununu has also expressed support for removing those penalties.
But the bills may face tough odds in the Republican-controlled Senate. The Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday recommended killing both measures in a party-line vote, and the full Senate has already voted down a version of the bill codifying abortion rights.
Asked Wednesday for his view on the legislation, Sununu said he’s been clear about his support for both bills but dismissed their chances of passing.
“I think they're all — they’re effectively dead,” he said. “I mean, I supported those bills. They know I supported them, but my understanding is they've effectively been killed.”
“I mean, they know where I stand on them,” he added. “They know I'm supportive.”
New Hampshire Democrats have called for stronger state-level protections for abortion in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision overturning Roe v. Wade last year. Republicans in the state Senate have argued that’s unnecessary because the state already permits abortion up to 24 weeks.
New Hampshire lawmakers have put forward various proposals to either expand or restrict abortion rights this year, but most have not made it out of the House.
Last month, House lawmakers rejected, by wide margins, bills that would have banned most abortions after about six weeks and created new requirements around what providers must discuss with patients seeking abortions.
An attempt to repeal the 24-week ban outright, as well as a proposed constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights, also failed to advance.
NHPR's Josh Rogers contributed reporting.
