House Votes 207 to 147 to Pass Legislation Developed by Alliance Defense Fund, Susan B. Anthony List
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2012 /Christian Newswire/ -- This morning, the New Hampshire House of Representatives passed HB 228 by an overwhelming margin of 207 to 147, prioritizing state-controlled family planning dollars away from abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood. The funding is prioritized to public and private entities that provide comprehensive health care to women and do not perform abortions. The bill's language, inserted as an amendment by Rep. Warren Groen (R-Rochester), was developed by the Alliance Defense Fund and the Susan B. Anthony List (SBA List). The bill now heads to the State Senate.
"The House-passed bill ensures that taxpayer funds are prioritized to entities dedicated to providing comprehensive health care to women, not abortion," said Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B Anthony List. "This is a great victory in what has become a nationwide battle to stop taxpayer funding of abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood."
"It is time to get New Hampshire taxpayers out of the abortion business," said Michael Tierney, an Alliance Defense Fund-allied attorney in Manchester, New Hampshire. "Planned Parenthood's business model is centered on abortion, and New Hampshire taxpayers want no part in it."
"Every innocent life deserves to be protected. Taxpayer dollars should go toward helping and caring for the most vulnerable Americans, not killing them," said Alliance Defense Fund Senior Counsel Mike Norton. "New Hampshire taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortions."
This victory in New Hampshire preempts the announcement of the SBA List's national campaign to Expose & Defund Planned Parenthood, which will be made public on January 23, 2012 during Dannenfelser's "State of the Unborn" address, made on the 39th anniversary of Roe v. Wade.
The SBA List has long supported efforts in the "Live Free or Die" state to defund abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood. To date, SBA List activists in New Hampshire have sent more than 94,000 messages to their elected representatives on the issue. In June 2011, the New Hampshire Executive Council voted to cancel a $1.8 million dollar contract with Planned Parenthood, citing that taxpayers would be subsidizing the abortion business. Following the measure, SBA List held a rally in Concord, New Hampshire to show support for the Council's vote, urging them to stay the course despite pressure from Planned Parenthood lobbyists for a re-vote.
Later in September 2009, the New Hampshire Executive Council filed a formal protest with the Department of Health and Human Services and the Government Accountability Office following the Obama Administration's award of a non-competitive $1 million contract with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, bypassing the state's earlier decision to reject taxpayer funding of the abortion giant.
Including New Hampshire, nine states have successfully defunded Planned Parenthood of over $61.7 million.
The Susan B. Anthony List is a nationwide network of more than 330,000 Americans dedicated to mobilizing, advancing, and representing pro-life women in politics. Its connected Candidate Fund increases the percentage of pro-life women in the political process.
