Source: United States Senator for New Hampshire Jeanne Shaheen
March 31, 2022
**Direct funding to Planned Parenthood is a result of the NH delegation’s efforts to circumvent the NH Executive Council’s continued obstruction of federal funds**
(Washington, DC) – U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH) and Maggie Hassan (D-NH) and U.S. Representatives Annie Kuster (NH-02) and Chris Pappas (NH-01) announced $1,420,640 awarded to support New Hampshire’s family planning providers. Of that, $918,140 comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) to support the State of New Hampshire’s Family Planning Program. Federal funds for the State’s Family Planning Program are still subject to approval from the Executive Council before they will reach providers. In addition, the delegation welcomed $502,500 directly from HHS, which is not subject to approval from the Executive Council, for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. This award is due to advocacy from the congressional delegation after the New Hampshire Executive Council repeatedly denied federal contracts for family planning providers that deliver 80 percent of the State’s family planning services.
“Family planning centers play an essential role in providing safe and affordable health care for women and families in our communities, and are under attack by ill-informed, partisan New Hampshire Republicans. This Title X funding for Planned Parenthood is critical as state-level family planning funds continue to be denied by the Republican-led Executive Council, which is one part of an all-out assault on women’s reproductive care in New Hampshire. It is shameful that the other federal funding awarded to the State will likely encounter the same obstacles in receiving approval from the Executive Council that continues to prevent urgently needed federal dollars from reaching providers like the Lovering and Equality Health Centers,” said Senator Shaheen. “From banning abortions to forcing unnecessary ultrasound requirements and refusing funding to family planning centers, New Hampshire Republicans have made it clear that attacking and controlling women’s health is their top concern. I appreciate the Biden administration’s efforts to work with the federal delegation to push back against these attacks by providing additional assistance to our providers to ensure women can continue to access the care they need. I’ll keep working to expand access to reproductive care and to secure additional federal support for family planning services in New Hampshire.”
“Reproductive freedom is essential to women’s ability to chart their own destiny, and this federal funding will help Granite Staters access the reproductive health care that they need,” said Senator Hassan. “As partisan politicians in Concord stand in the way of women’s ability to make their own health care decisions, I will keep pushing to support family planning centers and women’s reproductive freedom.”
“Family planning providers are critical to the health and well-being of our communities, and their services are a lifeline to women across New Hampshire, especially in the wake of the state’s regressive abortion ban,” said Rep. Kuster. “New Hampshire’s Republican-led State Legislature and Executive Council have time and again shown they are unwilling to stand up for Granite State women and families, undermining reproductive rights and freedom at every turn. I am proud to help deliver these resources directly to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and I urge the Executive Council to reverse course and deliver much-needed federal dollars to Granite State providers. Restrictions on access to reproductive care ignore the complexities of maternal health and threaten the lives of countless mothers and their children. I will continue working to ensure private medical decisions are between a woman and her doctor, not the government.”
“While these direct funds for Planned Parenthood are vital to ensure family planning providers can continue with critical health services like birth control, annual exams, and cancer screenings, it’s regrettable that the actions of the majority on the Executive Council to reject contracts has made securing the funds in this way necessary,” said Rep. Pappas. “The outrageous rejections of prior family planning contracts clearly show that the Republican-led Executive Council is more interested in politics than public health and safety. As a former Executive Councilor who vetted and voted to approve these contracts in the past, I know just how vital these funds are. In the wake of their misguided decisions, I’m glad the Department of Health and Human Services has heeded our calls to provide these funds and I will continue working alongside our health-care providers to ensure all Granite Staters will retain access to the care and services they need.”
“With the unprecedented attacks on sexual and reproductive health care in New Hampshire and across the country, now more than ever, it’s critical that everyone has access to quality, affordable, nonjudgmental care. The Title X federal grant funding will help to improve health equity and access to sexual and reproductive health care, such as birth control, STI testing, and cancer screenings for our most vulnerable Granite Staters. We are thrilled that PPNNE is officially re-entering the Title X program and thank our entire congressional delegation for advocating strongly for funding. While these funds will help PPNNE continue to provide essential care in our communities, the reality is we need more resources to meet the increased health care needs of our patients. We will continue our efforts to ensure adequate funding and urge the New Hampshire Executive Council to reconsider their vote and allow reproductive health care providers back into the NH Family Planning Program,” said Kayla Montgomery, VP of Public Affairs of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
Senator Shaheen is an unrelenting advocate for women’s reproductive rights. For years, Shaheen has fought to expand coverage of women’s preventative care, including through her legislation to reduce the cost of contraception for servicewomen and dependents in military families. Shaheen leads efforts in Congress to permanently repeal the Global Gag Rule, which bans federal funds for foreign non-governmental organizations that use non-U.S. funds to provide abortion services or provide information about abortion as part of comprehensive family planning services. She also supported efforts in Congress in opposition to the Title X Gag Rule.
Earlier this month, Senators Shaheen and Hassan, along with Representative Pappas, joined HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra in Manchester for a meeting with New Hampshire family planning providers, including Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and Lovering Health Center, amid continued attacks from State and congressional Republicans on women’s reproductive rights and care. In January, the NH congressional delegation applauded a $500,000 Title X Dire Need Grant award through HHS for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE). The Delegation pushed for this funding, including writing a letter to HHS Secretary Becerra supporting PPNNE’s application for this grant to ensure critical health services for thousands of Granite Staters aren’t cut due to funding shortfalls.
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