NH Leaders Honored for Work to Safeguard Women’s Health Care Access

CONCORD, NH — Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund PAC recently held its annual celebration to honor legislative leaders whose commitment to women’s health are a reflection of New Hampshire’s widespread support for Planned Parenthood and abortion access, according to a press release. PPNHAF PAC recognized state Sen. Nancy Stiles, R-Hampton, state Rep. Charlene Takesian, R-Pelham, state Sen. Molly Kelly, D-Harrisville, and state Rep. Tom Sherman, D-Rye, for being vocal and reliable advocates for the health of New Hampshire’s women and families.

In New Hampshire, women’s health does not divide people along party lines. Support for abortion access is higher in New Hampshire than any other state in the country with 73 percent of residents in favor of a woman's right to make her own health decisions. A recent Public Policy Polling poll also found an overwhelming majority of Granite Staters support funding for Planned Parenthood and are unlikely to support a candidate who has voted to defund it.

Colin Van Ostern, who received the early endorsement of PPNHAF PAC to be New Hampshire’s next governor, attended the event and recognized that without women’s health champions at all levels of government and on both sides of the aisle access to care could be put in jeopardy. As an Executive Councilor, Van Ostern fought to implement the state’s bipartisan Medicaid Expansion law and secure funding for Planned Parenthood while his opponent, Chris Sununu, cast votes to block both.

“This month we will mark the 100 year anniversary of opening of the first Planned Parenthood health center," said Jennifer Frizzell, chairwoman of Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund PAC. "Incredibly, 100 years later, we are still fighting to protect this critical health care provider and a women’s right to make her own health decisions from political attacks. Women’s health care access is not guaranteed and we should never take it for granted that is why we are so grateful to have legislative leaders who are willing to stand up for Planned Parenthood."

The honorees incdlue

• As a three-term state representative and three-term state senator, Stiles has been a reliable and unwavering advocate for Planned Parenthood and women's health. While chair of the Senate Education and Health and Human Services Committee Senator Stiles helped shepherd critical legislation expanding family planning coverage in New Hampshire’s Medicaid program and on multiple occasions she helped defeat legislation that would have restricted the teaching of comprehensive sex education in New Hampshire schools. She also stood up against the attempt by her Republican colleagues to establish fetal rights through dangerous personhood legislation. Prior to her election to the state legislature, Nancy Stiles served as a school nutrition director and observed how important access to family planning is for women's economic empowerment and academic advancement.
• Kelly began her career in public service in 1998 as an appointee of Governor Jeanne Shaheen to the State Commission on Women. She ran for Senate in 2006 against former Senate President Tom Eaton who had betrayed a pledge to his constituents and used his leadership role to allow New Hampshire’s first ever abortion restriction to be enacted. During her tenure as a member of both the majority party and the minority party she was a constant advocate for women, for their right to control their destiny through educational opportunities, reproductive freedoms and family-friendly economic policy. In the 2011-2012 legislative session, when the pro-women’s health Senators were outnumbered by the anti-women’s health Senators by a margin of 7-17 , Molly Kelly quietly and diplomatically worked behind the scenes to help ensure that 5 very threatening piece of legislation died on the Table, or went to Interim Study, but did not become law. In the years since then she has championed proactive legislation and spoken out every single time women’s health was in jeopardy.
• Takesian served two terms as a state representative and held key committee roles which helped to safeguard reproductive rights. As a Republican member of the House Judiciary Committee, Representative Takesian was a vocal and well-versed advocate for Planned Parenthood, helping to educate her peers on the critical role Planned Parenthood health centers play in the lives of women and families across New Hampshire.
• During his two terms, Sherman used his expertise as a doctor and commitment to women's health to ask hard questions of proponents of anti-women's health legislation and provided a leadership voice on the Health, Human Services, and Elderly Affairs Committee. During his tenure, he helped to defeat a bill that would have made medication abortion more difficult to obtain and pushed for the passage of Medicaid Expansion.