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Abortion rights a big concern for Democrats in N.H. governor’s race – The Boston Globe

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Abortion rights a big concern for Democrats in N.H. governor’s race – The Boston Globe


“For me, it’s trusting women to make their own health care decisions,” Craig said at the end of the roundtable. “We need to codify access to abortion in New Hampshire, and I will work to do that as governor.”

Under current law in New Hampshire, abortions are allowed until 24 weeks of gestation. After that, pregnancies can be terminated only when there are medical emergencies or “fetal abnormalities incompatible with life.” Health care providers who violate the law risk civil and criminal penalties.

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“With no protections for abortion in New Hampshire, this issue will be top of mind for Granite State voters on Election Day and is poised to be the deciding factor up and down the ballot,” said Kayla Montgomery, vice president of public affairs at Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund.

Would it be possible to affirmatively protect abortion rights in New Hampshire state law and also keep some version of the tighter restrictions after 24 weeks of pregnancy?

“That’s a discussion we can have,” Craig told The Boston Globe. “But the important point in this is trusting women to make their own health care decisions and not holding doctors criminally responsible.”

During a New Hampshire Public Radio debate on Tuesday, Ayotte reiterated her commitment to veto any legislation that would tighten abortion restrictions in the state.

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Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte, who faces Democrat Joyce Craig in the November 2024 election for New Hampshire governor, visited a local concrete coating business in Manchester, N.H., on Oct. 16.Charles Krupa/Associated Press

Ayotte said she has “always” supported exceptions to allow for abortions in cases of rape or incest or when the mother’s life is in danger, and she left open the possibility of signing legislation to loosen the state’s current law accordingly.

“Obviously if there are other issues that come up with the law that need to be addressed, of course I am willing to address them,” Ayotte said. “But I would not allow anything more restrictive in our state, and that’s really important.”

When asked whether she would agree to eliminate the law’s criminal and civil penalties, Ayotte said she hadn’t heard of any problems related to those provisions and would have to look into that issue further.

Democrats have contended throughout this campaign cycle that Ayotte’s latest comments don’t align with her track record. They cite, for example, how during her time as a US senator she pushed for federal restrictions on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, and after leaving office took on a role shepherding Justice Neil Gorsuch through his confirmation to the US Supreme Court, where he joined in overturning Roe v. Wade.

At Friday’s roundtable, Craig was flanked by former governors and current US senators Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, who said Ayotte cannot be trusted to keep her word on abortion policy.

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Ayotte, who served as New Hampshire attorney general before her single term in the US Senate, said during the NHPR debate that she views the post-Roe outcome in New Hampshire as appropriate.

“I believe that this issue should be decided by the states,” she said. “New Hampshire decided this.”

That position isn’t shared, however, by most Granite Staters, according to polling conducted this month by the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion.

About 6 in 10 likely New Hampshire voters said they either strongly oppose (44 percent) or somewhat oppose (17 percent) leaving it up to each state to decide whether abortion is legal, according to the UMass polling. That includes 87 percent of those who lean Democratic, 36 percent of those who lean Republican, and 54 percent of independents.

Two-thirds of likely New Hampshire voters said they would either strongly support (51 percent) or somewhat support (15 percent) a law establishing a nationwide right to abortion, according to the polling. That includes 83 percent of those who lean Democratic, 48 percent of those who lean Republican, and 61 percent of independents.

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Montgomery said the poll makes clear “there is a strong consensus among Granite Staters that abortion rights must be protected.”

Ayotte has been endorsed by outgoing Governor Chris Sununu and said she would keep the state moving down the same path as it has been during Sununu’s eight years in office.

While the Republican incumbent remains popular in the state, those who disapprove of him cited his handling of abortion as their top reason, according to polling over the summer by the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

Sununu outperformed Donald J. Trump on the ballot in 2016 and 2020. Ayotte would likely need to replicate that on Nov. 5 to beat Craig, since polling shows Vice President Kamala D. Harris leading Trump by 7 percentage points or more in the state.


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Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.





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New Hampshire

N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe

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N.H. lawmakers to vote on increasing tolls, civil rights, and k-12 education – The Boston Globe


One proposal (Senate Bill 627) would generate more than $53 million per year in estimated revenue for turnpike projects by essentially doubling what certain cars pay on the state’s toll roads.

The cash fare for Hampton’s main toll booth on Interstate 95, for example, would jump from $2 to $4 for cars and pickup trucks. The toll wouldn’t increase at all for motorists who use New Hampshire’s E-ZPass transponders.

“Surrounding states already have the same in-state discount structure in place,” Democratic Representative Martin Jack of Nashua wrote on behalf of a House committee that unanimously recommended the bill.

A potential hitch: Governor Kelly Ayotte. She’s expressed opposition to the whole toll-hiking idea, and proven she’s not afraid to use her veto pen.

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Modifying civil rights standard

Another proposal (Senate Bill 464) would add a few words to the state’s Civil Rights Act. Instead of addressing conduct that is merely “motivated by” a legally protected characteristic, the proposed revision would address conduct that is “substantially motivated by hostility towards the victim’s” protected characteristic (such as their race, color, religion, national origin, ancestry, sexual orientation, sex, gender identity, or disability).

The prime sponsor, Republican Senator Daryl Abbas, an attorney, testified the change was small and aligned with the law’s intent. But the attorney who oversees the Civil Rights Unit at the New Hampshire Department of Justice, Sean Locke, testified in opposition, saying the proposal could reduce protections, especially since the meaning of “substantially” is somewhat vague.

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The House is also weighing a proposed amendment that would add a few more words than Abbas’s version, potentially narrowing the Civil Rights Act’s applicability a bit further.

Open enrollment for K-12 schools

A third proposal up for a vote on Thursday (Senate Bill 101) would make every K-12 public school in New Hampshire an “open enrollment” school. That way, students could freely choose to transfer to a district other than the one where they live.

The proposed policy is controversial, partly because of how schools are funded. Districts rely mostly on local property taxes to cover their costs, as the state government chips in relatively little, and property tax rates vary widely from one community to the next. That generates concern about who will foot the bill when a student transfers.

In light of those concerns, Republicans are offering a compromise amendment to SB 101 that would require the state to provide more money per pupil that a district receives via open enrollment, as the New Hampshire Bulletin reported. Democrats are offering their own amendment to establish a study commission on this topic, rather than adopt the proposed policy now.

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Lawmakers have until May 14 to take action on the bills that came from the other chamber, though they have until June 4 to iron out any discrepancies.

Amanda Gokee of the Globe staff contributed to this report.


This story appears in Globe NH | Morning Report, a free email newsletter focused on New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles elsewhere. Sign up here.


Steven Porter can be reached at steven.porter@globe.com. Follow him @reporterporter.





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Boston MedFlight expands into NH

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Boston MedFlight expands into NH


Boston MedFlight often touches down at the scene of some of the worst tragedies in New England – where minutes can mean life or death for a victim. The critical care transport operation is now expanding with a new base in New Hampshire.

The organization is hosting an open house at the new Manchester location on Thursday.

Boston MedFlight flies a critical care transport paramedic and nurse on every flight. Jaik Hanley-McCarthy says their helicopters and ground vehicles are equipped to handle just about any emergency medical procedure.

“Anything that can be done in the ICU,” explained Hanley-McCarthy. “We have a mobile lab so we can draw blood and run labs in real time.”

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Boston MedFlight now has five bases across the region.

“Having a base in Manchester just expands this Boston-level care even further north to the more remote areas of the state,” said Hanley-McCarthy.

Boston MedFlight operates as a network of bases and some of the locations are staffed 24 hours.

Chief Executive Officer Maura Hughes says the nonprofit operation survives on public and private donations.

“We provide about $7 million in free care every year to patients,” said Hughes. “Not every hospital can be everything to every patient. We’re really the glue that keeps the health care system together.”

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Heather Young says her daughter, Teighan, is still alive because she was flown for a critical assessment and procedure after falling off a truck and hitting her head.

“She should not be driving and walking and talking and all the things she’s doing as quickly as she is,” said Young.

Teighan just turned 18 and plans to go to college to study the medical field.

“I want to be a nurse and help other people,” she said.

It’s stories like this that keep the men and women who work Boston MedFlight focused on their mission.

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“I think we just go call by call and try to do the best we can,” said Hanley-McCarthy. “I think when we stop and truly think about it, I think that weight is pretty heavy.”

Boston MedFlight also has a yearly reunion where patients and the team get together here in Bedford to meet and check in on their progress. It really shows you how connected they are to the people they help.



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Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains

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Hiker who set out in warm spring weather found dead after snowstorm in New Hampshire mountains


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A Massachusetts hiker who set out in warm spring weather was found dead deep in New Hampshire’s White Mountains after a snowstorm dumped several inches of snow in the area, authorities said.

Kent Wood, 61, of West Roxbury, was discovered Tuesday evening on a remote section of the Kinsman Pond Trail in Franconia Notch, about 5.5 miles from his vehicle, according to New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Wood had driven to Franconia Notch on April 17 for a weekend camping and hiking trip, and set out on a hike the next morning in warm, clear weather, officials said. Family and friends last heard from him Saturday afternoon.

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When he failed to return or make contact for two days, officials said relatives reported him missing Tuesday morning, prompting a large-scale search.

HIKER IDENTIFIED, POPULAR TRAIL CLOSED AFTER DEADLY FALL A UTAH’S ZION NATIONAL PARK

An aerial view of Franconia Notch State Park in New Hampshire, where a hiker was found dead on Tuesday. (Joseph Sohm/Universal Images Group, File)

Rescuers quickly learned Wood had packed for mild conditions, not the three to five inches of snow that fell in the area between Sunday and Monday.

Fog hovers over a narrow road through Franconia Notch in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire on Dec. 27, 2021. (Andrew Lichtenstein/Corbis)

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Search teams from Fish and Game, PEMI Valley Search and Rescue, and the Army National Guard launched a coordinated effort, focusing on the Lonesome Lake and Kinsman Pond areas.

FAMILY’S SPRING BREAK HIKE TURNS INTO LIFE-OR-DEATH RESCUE AFTER PARENT FALLS 70 FEET OFF UTAH CLIFF

Conservation officers located Wood’s body around 7:41 p.m. Tuesday. Crews carried him out overnight, reaching the trailhead shortly after 1 a.m. Wednesday.

Franconia Notch and the Appalachian Trail are seen in New Hampshire on Sept. 21. (Carol M. Highsmith/Buyenlarge/Getty Images)

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Since Friday, six hikers from Massachusetts have been rescued in the White Mountains, Fish and Game said.

Officials are reminding hikers that winter conditions still grip the mountains, with snow, freezing temperatures and rapidly changing weather.



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