Family planning service disruption possible

New Hampshire Union Leader - 7/1/2021

Jul. 1—State officials warned Wednesday screenings, birth control and other family planning services could be held up if they must conduct a financial review of all programs before existing contracts come up for renewal this summer.

Gov. Chris Sununu last week signed the trailer bill to the state budget that reyquires the state to confirm a "physical and financial" separation between family planning programs and any abortion clinics they also operate.

The language was a companion to the state's first ban on abortions, outlawing the procedure after 24 weeks except to protect the health of the mother.

The measure (HB 2) further requires an ultrasound be done before all abortions, regardless of whether it is considered medically necessary.

Deputy Public Health Director Patricia Tilley said her office had planned to present to the Executive Council renewed contracts for the nine family planning providers by the end of the summer.

But Tilley said it will take at least until the end of the year for her agency to finish the financial review the state budget trailer bill requires.

Executive Councilor David Wheeler, R-Milford, a vocal abortion opponent, said those reviews must be done before he would vote on any contract.

Wheeler expressed doubt Planned Parenthood and the other providers can produce records that prove there is a clear separation between their abortion clinics and such services such as birth control, annual exams and cancer screenings.

Health and Human Services Commissioner Lori Shibinette said the financial review would "definitely delay" renewal of the contracts.

Councilor Cinde Warmington, D-Concord, an abortion rights activist, said any interruption in services for patients of the providers would be an "outrage."

"All the health care for these women would be delayed," Warmington said. "I'm a Democrat, but this doesn't seem to be how conservatives should function in New Hampshire because we know these vital services save money and lives."

Kayla Montgomery, senior vice president of public affairs for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, tried without success to convince the Legislature to increase spending on family planning contracts because these programs struggled to deal with cuts in federal funds during the Trump administration.

The Biden administration has vowed to restore the funding, but federal officials say that could take more than a year.

The state budget Sununu signed two years ago replaced the Trump administration cuts in federal Title X funding with state dollars for these programs.

State health and insurance officials said they fully expect that insurers would reimburse for the costs of ultrasounds for women who have coverage.

"What's clear is that this politically motivated process does nothing to contribute to the health and safety of the 15,000 patients in the NH Family Planning Program," Montgomery said, "and instead potentially delays care for cancer screenings, birth control, and STI (sexually-transmitted infection) testing and treatment for our most marginalized community members."

Attorney General John Formella told Warmington and Wheeler he would look into the new budget law and its impact on the renewal of these contracts.

Shannon McKinley, executive director with Cornerstone Action, a socially conservative interest group, said abortion advocates have overblown the ultrasound provision in the budget deal.

Women who don't get the ultrasound face no penalty, unless it would have revealed the fetus was more than 24 weeks and could not be aborted, McGinley said.

Sununu did not comment during the council debate on the topic.

klandrigan@unionleader.com

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