A new Associated Press report highlights that Granite Staters could face “cuts in services” and increased “patient waiting times” following the Chris Sununu-backed Executive Council last week voting to defund reproductive health care clinics, including Planned Parenthood locations.
Key points, via the AP:
- “Family planning providers that were denied state funding for routine health care services such as screenings for cancer and sexually transmitted diseases said Monday that they could see cuts in services and longer patient waiting times as a result.”
- “‘State funding for this care is critical because it covers low-income and uninsured Granite staters who rely on us for these specific health care services,’ said Kayla Montgomery, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, which was denied funding.”
- “The Republican-majority council voted against the contracts under a new state requirement that mandates financial audits of reproductive health facilities to ensure no public funds are paying for abortion-related services. Councilors did not feel the requirement was met.”
- “U.S. Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, a Democrat, said [Sununu] could have taken a stronger stance in support of the funding at the outset or held onto the contracts. She called his statement to distance himself from the council ‘not credible.’”
Last week, Sununu shrugged off the concerns of Planned Parenthood advocates who rallied against the Council vote, dismissing them as “drama.”
The council members, who Sununu campaigned for last week, were just following his lead: in June, Sununu signed into law an abortion ban bill that mandates unnecessary ultrasounds and includes punishing doctors. And Sununu himself previously voted to defund Planned Parenthood.
Read the AP full report here.
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Published: Sep 21, 2021