Yesterday the New Hampshire state Senate passed a bill by a vote of 17 to 7 requiring at least one parent of a minor seeking an abortion receive written notification at least 48 hours prior to the procedure. The Senate voted against an amendment to the bill that would have allowed minors to forgo parental notification if “notice to the parent or guardian may lead to physical or emotional abuse of the minor.” If the young woman does not wish to notify her parents, she can appear before a judge, who will decide whether she is “mature and capable of giving informed consent to the proposed abortion.”
The bill passed the state House by a vote of 256 to 102 and will go to Governor John Lynch (D), who has not indicated whether he will sign it into law. Jennifer Frizzell, senior policy adviser for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, stated, “We know the governor cares deeply about young women’s health and safety. We’ll take him at his word.”
Last week, US Senator John Boozman (R-AR) introduced a bill that would require that the parents of minors seeking abortion services be notified by certified mail and that doctors wait at least four days before performing an abortion. Doctors who do not abide by the requirement could be fined up to $1 million and have to serve up to 10 years in prison.
