New Hampshire
N.H. weighs making gender-affirming care for minors a felony – The Boston Globe
The bill would still need approval from the Senate and governor before it could become law.
LGBTQ+ advocates and health care providers denounced the bill’s passage.
“Representatives today chose to double down on discrimination and block life-saving healthcare that has been studied and proven effective for 40 years,” said Linds Jakows, founder of 603 Equality, an LGBTQ+ advocacy group, in a statement.
“All Granite Staters should be outraged that loving parents will be charged with felonies for accessing healthcare, a dangerous authoritarian precedent,” Jakows said.
Puberty blockers can pause the onset of puberty and have been used as a part of gender-affirming care for young people experiencing gender dysphoria. The medication stops the body from making sex hormones and its effects are reversible. A young person can still go through normal puberty if they stop taking the blocker.
Hormone therapy typically includes the use of testosterone and estrogen to more closely align someone’s outer appearance with their gender identity.
Republicans who supported the ban argued the treatments are dangerous, and do not have proven long-term benefits. They said people can still access treatment when they turn 18, and they pointed to some individuals whose gender dysphoria is resolved without medical intervention after they undergo puberty.
Speaking in favor of the bill, Representative Erica Layon, a Derry Republican, said gender-affirming care is “turning some of these children into lifelong medical patients, which enriches Big Pharma.”
And she argued that current counseling around gender is inadequate because it is required to affirm the changed gender identity, without sufficiently questioning that change.
Endocrinologists in New Hampshire who provide transgender care said puberty blockers have been used in pediatric endocrinology for decades to treat early puberty, and there is a lot of data demonstrating safety and efficacy. Providers and transgender people said there are many mental health benefits for children who receive gender-affirming care.
Democrats called the ban cruel and discriminatory, since it targets transgender youth accessing the treatment, and includes exceptions for people with ambiguous genitalia.
“If denied this care, trans children will not be able to escape developing secondary sexual characteristics that they’re hoping to avoid,” said Representative Jessica F. LaMontagne, a Dover Democrat. Even if they decide to transition as an adult, she said, they will have to live with those characteristics for the rest of their lives.
“Puberty blockers are temporary and reversible,” she said. “But puberty is not.”
For people assigned male at birth, the medication can slow the growth of facial and body hair, prevent the voice from deepening, and limit the growth of male sexual organs. For people assigned female at birth, it limits or stops breast development, and stops menstruation, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Republicans in New Hampshire remain wary about the risks of such treatments and insist they should be off the table, at least for children.
“Minors deserve protection from experimental medical interventions that could cause lasting harm,” wrote Representative Lisa Mazur, a Goffstown Republican, in the committee’s recommendation to pass the bill.
But civil liberties advocates argued that the government shouldn’t dictate what kind of health care people can access.
“Every Granite Stater deserves the freedom to control their bodies and seek the health care they need free from government intrusion — including LGBTQ+ and transgender young people,” said Courtney Reed, a policy advocate at the ACLU of New Hampshire.
Transgender issues and rights have been among the most contentious issues debated by the Legislature this year, as President Trump has taken executive action limiting passports for transgender people, seeking to exclude them from the military, and to keep transgender girls off girls’ sports teams.
Last week, the New Hampshire House passed a bill rolling back some anti-discrimination protections for transgender people, enabling their exclusion from bathrooms, sports teams, locker rooms, and detention facilities that match their gender identity. On Thursday, the Senate passed its version of a similar proposal, Senate Bill 268.
A similar proposal was vetoed last year by then Governor Chris Sununu. Asked about House Bill 148 on Wednesday, Republican Governor Kelly A. Ayotte said she needs to see the final provisions of the bill before determining her position on it. She did say, however, that she’s made up her mind on women’s sports.
“An issue I’ve felt strongly about is making sure that biological males are not competing in female sports,” she said. “That issue is important to me.”
Proponents of sex-segregated sports team argue it is an issue of fairness and safety.
Last year, New Hampshire passed a bill banning transgender girls from the girls’ sports team in middle and high school. The Senate on Thursday passed Senate Bill 211, a broader sports and locker room ban that would also include college sports.
The new law is facing a lawsuit arguing it unfairly targets transgender girls and violates Title IX and the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The transgender girls who are plaintiffs in the lawsuit against the state are also challenging Trump’s sports ban in federal court.
Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.
New Hampshire
Bank Robber, Sexual Assaulter, With 40-Plus Year Criminal History, Wanted On Parole Violation: NH DOC
CONCORD, NH — The New Hampshire Department of Corrections is asking for the public’s help in finding a sex offender and robbery convict, with “violent tendencies,” who is wanted on a parole violation.
Michael J. Wells is 60, white, about 5 feet, 6 inches tall, and weighs around 150 lbs. He has dirty blond hair and hazel eyes. Officials said Wells sometimes uses the following aliases: “Michael Morris,” “Michael Morse,” and “Michael Kirby.” He has Tasmanian devil, star, moon, and skull tattoos on his right arm and a cross over a skull with a spider web on his left arm.
The warrant against Wells was issued by the New Hampshire Parole Board as well as Manchester police for duty to report, after accusing him of absconding from parole and failing to register as a sex offender.
“In December 1994,” an alert stated, “Wells was convicted of aggravated felonious sexual assault and as a result, is required to register as a Tier III sex offender for the remainder of his life. Wells is currently on Parole Supervision for robbery.”
In December 2018, Wells robbed the Citizens Bank in Manchester, passing a note stating, “I have a gun. No tracking. No dye bag. $20-$50 quickly. No alarm.” In August 2021, he committed the same offense under similar circumstances, officials said, after he was placed on escape status from the Calumet Transitional Housing Unit. He was arrested in Massachusetts a few weeks later.
Wells is known to frequent both Concord and Manchester.
Editor’s note: This post was derived from information supplied by the New Hampshire Department of Corrections and does not indicate a conviction. This link explains how to request the removal of a name from New Hampshire Patch police reports.
Wells criminal history dates back more than four decades, according to superior court records, after he was accused of forgery in Nashua in August 1985. In June 1988, he was convicted on one forgery charge.
Wells was accused of theft in 1990 and he pleaded guilty to the charge a month later.
Wells was accused of bail jumping in February 1989.
In 1994, Wells was accused of aggravated felonious sexual assault, sexual assault, and second-degree assault charges in Nashua. In December 1994, he pleaded guilty to the second-degree assault charge. Wells was found guilty by the court on one aggravated felonious sexual assault charge in January 1996.
Wells was also accused of escape in December 1998.
In 2005 and 2006, more charges were racked up, including four acts prohibited counts in Nashua, a false report to law enforcement, receiving stolen property, two acts prohibited counts in Salem, and forgery in Manchester. Wells was found guilty on two of the drug charges in Salem and the Manchester forgery charge, while the others were nolle prossed.
In April 2019, Wells was convicted on the December 2018 bank robbery charges. He was given a three-and-a-half-to-10-year sentence with 136 days of time served credit and a 10-to-20-year sentence, suspended for 10 years.
New Hampshire
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.
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.
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.
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.
New Hampshire
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.”
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.”
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.
“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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