New Hampshire Committee Votes to Silence Parents

We have been following this one for a year and a half ... seems our neighbors in NH don't have a very family friendly House Judiciary Committee!! Things have changed!!! We pray the the legislature will have more common sense to uphold the Family over that of an often scared and confused under-aged pregnant teen who needs guidance! ~Glenn

From: Family Research Council [mailto:frcpub@frc.org]
Article by : Tony Perkins
February 16, 2007
New Hampshire Committee Votes to Silence Parents


While nearly a dozen states debate laws that would expand parents' rights, the New Hampshire legislature is working overtime to undermine them. Since 2003, the Granite State has had a parental notification law on the books, requiring at least one parent to be informed 48 hours before their minor daughter has an abortion. Planned Parenthood, concerned that the law would scare off business, challenged the measure in court on the grounds that it didn't include a health exemption for the mother. Ultimately, the suit landed in the U.S. Supreme Court, where, in January of last year, the justices reversed a ruling that had struck down the law. Now the state legislature is fighting to repeal the law, insisting that the government--not moms or dads--should be the ultimate authority on matters that affect children's health. Yesterday, the House Judiciary Committee voted 12-5 in favor of abolishing a parents' right to know. From there, the measure will go before the full state House for a vote and, if successful, could be signed into law by Gov. John Lynch (D) as early as March. If the appeal passes, the court case is moot. When FRC attempted to alert our supporters in New Hampshire to the urgency of this issue, we were informed that unless our organization had a lobbyist registered in the state, we were forbidden from e-mailing New Hampshire voters. Obviously, the government is intent on silencing those that would expose their strategy to suppress parents on an issue as vital as teen abortion. In fact, some leaders consider the whole matter of parental notification a distraction from state business. As Rep. Liz Hager (R) said, "Let's get this expensive, unconstitutional problem behind us." However, the true expense will be the toll on innocent, human lives should the state erase a law that serves to give young girls pause about killing their unborn babies. Our friend Karen Testerman, head of New Hampshire's Cornerstone Policy Research, is circulating a petition in hopes of persuading elected officials--not to change their position on abortion, but to uphold parents' rights. For more information on Cornerstone's efforts, log on to www.cnht.org.

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