Republican lawmaker pulls 15-week abortion ban proposal
Before the bill can be officially withdrawn, all of the co-sponsors must agree and the matter must go to a House floor vote. (Photo by Dana Wormald/New Hampshire Bulletin)
Rep. Katy Peternel, a Wolfeboro Republican, announced Monday she was requesting to withdraw her proposed 15-week abortion ban.
'After careful review, it has become clear that there is a flaw in the bill that prevents us from moving forward in a logical, reasonable, or obvious way,' Peternel said in a statement. 'Without consensus among the pro-life organizations across New Hampshire, this bill does not have the broad support it needs to advance successfully out of committee.'
House Bill 476 would've made abortion illegal in New Hampshire after 15 months of pregnancy. The bill provided exceptions for medical emergencies and fetal abnormalities. It did not include exceptions for rape or incest.
'The withdrawal of HB 476 allows the legislature to refocus its efforts on other legislation,' Peternel continued in her statement.
Peternel did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the bill or what flaw specifically led her to request the withdrawal.
House Clerk Paul Smith said he's heard from Peternel's co-sponsors and all wish to proceed with withdrawal. Now, before the bill can be officially withdrawn, the matter must go to a House floor vote on whether to approve the withdrawal, according to Smith. However, without the support of its sponsors the bill appears extremely unlikely to advance.
Abortion has been illegal after 24 weeks of pregnancy since 2021, and includes exceptions for medical emergencies and fetal abnormalities. This proposal would have tightened that ban by nine weeks.
Even before the withdrawal request, the proposed abortion ban faced significant obstacles to becoming law. Gov. Kelly Ayotte has said she would veto any further restrictions on abortion. In her inaugural address given to lawmakers earlier this month, Ayotte said, 'If you send me legislation that further restricts access to abortion beyond our current law, I will veto it.' Additionally, during the 2024 election season, House and Senate Republican leaders vowed they wouldn't pass any additional abortion restrictions.
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