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Sen. Kevin Avard proposes statewide abortion reporting; DHHS warns of privacy, costs
Summary
Senate Bill 36 would require reporting of all pregnancy terminations to the New Hampshire Department of Health and Human Services. Supporters say it adds transparency; DHHS and providers raised privacy, technical and cost concerns, and several organizations urged changes or delayed study.
Sen. Kevin Avard, the prime sponsor of Senate Bill 36, told the House Health, Human Services and Elderly Affairs Committee that the bill would require health care providers, medical facilities and the Department of Health and Human Services to collect and report data on pregnancy terminations in New Hampshire.
The bill would expand reporting under the state’s Fetal Life Protection Act so that reports are required for all terminated pregnancies, rather than only for fetal terminations after 24 weeks. “This bill basically requires the collection and reporting of certain abortion statistics by the health care providers, medical facilities, and the Department of Health and Human Services,” Avard said at the hearing.
Whitney Hammond, interim deputy director for DHHS’s Division of Public Health Services, told the committee the department is neutral on the bill but outlined technical and privacy issues. Hammond said the current statute references the wrong RSA section and that, as drafted, the proposed rule would call for reporting of…
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