Joyce Craig’s Reproductive Rights Policy Agenda  

Reproductive freedom is under attack in New Hampshire and across the country from  extreme anti-choice Republicans like Kelly Ayotte, Chuck Morse, and Donald Trump.  These attacks represent a direct threat to our bodily autonomy. Despite the escalating  national attacks, New Hampshire remains the only state in New England that does not  guarantee the right to abortion. I trust Granite Staters to make their own personal health  care decisions, and I will work to support, protect, and expand access to reproductive health care in New Hampshire. 

Following the Dobbs decision overturning Roe v. Wade, some states have banned  abortion as early as six weeks of pregnancy and are restricting the availability of IVF. In  New Hampshire, Republicans proposed an extreme 15-day abortion ban, and defunded  essential health care providers such as Planned Parenthood. These actions jeopardize  access to comprehensive reproductive health care services, including contraception, STI  testing, and cancer screenings. 

As Mayor of Manchester, I supported the largest Planned Parenthood facility in the state  and ensured that women were able to access the reproductive health care they needed. It is essential that women everywhere in our state have the same protections in place. 

It is wrong that our daughters and granddaughters have fewer rights than I did when I  was their age. Anti-choice politicians are interfering with a woman’s right to make  personal health care decisions, and it's not enough to just defend against attacks on our  rights. We need leaders who will proactively protect and ensure access to comprehensive reproductive health care services, including abortion. As Governor, I will  work tirelessly to ensure that women in New Hampshire have the support, resources,  and autonomy to make the health care decisions that are best for them. 

Reproductive Health Care Policies for New Hampshire  

1. Support, Protect, and Expand Access to Reproductive Health Care Services:

• Codify abortion rights into law to protect the right to access abortion  services in New Hampshire - the only state in New England without this  guaranteed right - and protect Granite Staters from national attacks on  reproductive freedom 

• Repeal New Hampshire’s current restrictions on abortion care 

• Establish a Bureau of Reproductive Health Care within the Department of  Health and Human Services, Division of Public Health Services 

  • Set up online information hubs for those seeking medically accurate  reproductive care in New Hampshire; manage Title X program;  improve and protect access to reproductive health care services 

• Nominate pro-choice justices to serve on the State Supreme Court

• Pass legislation protecting the right for individuals and families to access  fertility treatments or assisted reproductive technology services (ART),  such as IVF, and for health care providers to provide ART

• Pass legislation that expressly prohibits clinic violence and obstruction of  access, including threats, aggressive protesting, and online and telephone  harassment 

• Protect and enforce buffer zones to protect patients, clinics and health care  providers from harassment, intimidation, and violence 

• Repeal criminal penalties for health care workers providing standard  practice medical care to pregnant women 

• Provide incentives to attract health care workers, including obstetricians  and gynecologists, to rural areas 

2. Expand Access to Reproductive Health Care Funding:  

• Direct New Hampshire’s Medicaid program to cover costs for abortions,  joining 17 other states including every other New England state 

• Pass legislation that would require private health insurance plans to cover  abortions 

• Increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for providers 

• Fund organizations that provide essential reproductive health care services  that has been stripped by the Executive Council since 2021 

• Veto funding for anti-abortion centers that spread medically inaccurate  abortion misinformation 

3. Make New Hampshire a Stronghold for Reproductive Rights: 

• Join Reproductive Freedom Alliance, a non-partisan coalition of 21  Governors committed to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom  in their states 

• Issue an Executive Order to protect individuals seeking or providing  abortion care in New Hampshire from legal repercussions imposed by  states that prohibit abortion 

• Prevent restrictions on access to medication abortion such as Mifepristone

  • Medication abortion accounts for approximately 50% of all abortions, and are particularly important in rural areas where access  to clinics is limited 

• Protect the ability for pharmacies to dispense prescription mifepristone

• Protect patients’ ability to access reproductive health care via telehealth

• Pass protections for consumer and medical data related to reproductive health care 

4. Promote Comprehensive Family Health Care and Sexual Education:

• Support initiatives to make birth control readily available and affordable to  individuals 

• Champion comprehensive, evidence-based sex education in schools that  includes information about contraception, consent, and reproductive rights

• Pass legislation that requires anti-abortion centers to disclose that they do  not offer or provide referrals for abortion or contraceptive services and are not bound by HIPAA protections