N.H. House Revives 24-Hour Waiting Period Measure

May 16, 2012 — The New Hampshire House on Tuesday  voted to revive a measure (HB 1659) that would require women to wait 24 hours before obtaining abortion care, the AP/ Boston Globe reports. The Senate voted 12-11 to reject the bill last month, but House lawmakers attached it to a Senate bill on tax credits as a way to resurrect the measure (Love, AP/Boston Globe, 5/15).

The bill, called the Women's Right to Know Act, outlines a series of steps doctors are required to take 24 hours before an abortion, including telling the woman that the procedure could result in infection, hemorrhages or tearing of the uterine lining, according to the Huffington Post (Celock, Huffington Post, 5/15).

The House approved the waiting period measure against some lawmakers' objections that it would destroy the chances for passing the tax credit bill. However, House Majority Leader D.J. Bettencourt (R) defended the decision, saying the House was "standing up for its position" (Timmins, Concord Monitor, 5/16).