Volunteers Marian Starkey, right, and Sheera LaBelle let people into the building that houses the Planned Parenthood clinic in Portland in September 2022. Gregory Rec/Staff Photographer

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England says requests for long-acting reversible contraceptives have nearly doubled at its clinics since the Nov. 5 election that resulted in Republicans gaining control of U.S. Congress and the White House.

In the week after the election, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England received 215 appointment requests for long-acting contraceptives, including birth control implants and intrauterine devices, at its clinics in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont, almost twice as much as its normal weekly bookings of 111. In Maine, bookings went from an average of 26 weekly appointments to 48 in the week after the election.

While President-elect Donald Trump has said he would not support a national abortion plan, reproductive rights advocates have doubted that he would refuse to sign such a bill.

Advocates have also raised concerns that the Trump administration will restrict access to reproductive health services and could try to use a 19th century law – the Comstock Act – to forbid shipping mifepristone, the abortion pill, across state lines – a claim Trump denied during the campaign.

Abortion rights advocates also warned that a Trump administration could also make it more difficult to access contraceptives.

Almost all Republican politicians are anti-abortion, and starting in January Republicans will control all levers of the federal government, with the presidency, both houses of Congress and the U.S. Supreme Court’s conservative majority.

Nicole Clegg, CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, said in a statement that “our patients are worried.”

“They are concerned that they may not be able to access the care they need or make the best choices for their health,” Clegg said. “Election outcomes shouldn’t have this type of impact on people’s lives. People shouldn’t wake up one morning and find that getting the method of birth control they want or need is now out of their hands. These are personal decisions and shouldn’t be subject to political whims.”

The Supreme Court in 2022 reversed Roe v. Wade, leaving decisions about whether abortion is legal up to the states. While Maine passed laws increasing access to abortion, 21 states either banned abortion outright or placed strict restrictions on abortion care.

The first Trump administration, which ran from 2017-2020, instituted a gag order on what abortion clinics could say about abortion care to their patients, resulting in a cut in federal funding to Planned Parenthood.

In addition to the interest in long-acting contraceptives, the number of vasectomy consultations, 26 in the first two weeks of November, had already surpassed Planned Parenthood of Northern New England’s monthly average of 23.

Also, Planned Parenthood has experienced an increase in patients reaching out about the potential for reduced access to gender-affirming care during the Trump administration, although there was no data released about an increase in these concerns.

This story will be updated.

Copy the Story Link

Laws on pigeon frightening, milk cart vandalization and belting the national anthem are all present in the state of Massachusetts. 

The 1780 Constitution of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the oldest functioning written constitution in the world, according to Mass.gov. The historical document was drafted by John Adams. 

Scanning through laws in Massachusetts, you are sure to find some head scratchers, but the state is far from the only one that has bizarre laws still technically on the books. 

WEIRD SOUTH CAROLINA LAWS THAT WILL SURPRISE YOU, INCLUDING THE RAMIFICATION OF BUYING SILVERWARE ON SUNDAYS

Below are a few strange laws present in the state of Massachusetts. 

1. Think twice before scaring a pigeon
2. Fine, possible imprisonment for vandalizing a carton of milk
3. No more than 1% alcohol in candy
4. Fines for singing or playing the national anthem
5. Avoid changing the color of a rabbit or a chicken
6. Spooky real estate rule

1. Think twice before you scare a pigeon 

Before sneaking up on a pigeon in Massachusetts, consider this strange law. 

You’re likely to see quite a few pigeons in Massachusetts, but it’s best to leave them be, as it’s illegal in Massachusetts to give them a fright. 

BIZARRE LAWS IN WASHINGTON, SUCH AS BEING CHARGED WITH RECKLESS DRIVING IF HUGGING WHILE BEHIND THE WHEEL

“Pigeons, killing or frightening” is covered in Chapter 255, Section 132 of the General Laws of Massachusetts. 

“Whoever wilfully kills pigeons upon, or frightens them from, beds which have been made for the purpose of taking them in nets, by any method, within one hundred rods of the same, except on land lawfully occupied by himself, shall be punished by imprisonment for not more than one month or by a fine of not more than twenty dollars, and shall also be liable for the actual damages to the owner or occupant of such beds,” the law states. 

In Massachusetts, it’s best to leave the pigeons alone. (Stan Grossfeld/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)

2. Fine, possible imprisonment for vandalizing a carton of milk

With the average cost of a gallon of milk around $4 in 2024, you could end up spending more than you bargained for by breaking this law. 

In Massachusetts, there is a law explicitly stating the punishment for vandalizing a carton of milk, which is a fine of $10. 

PAST AND PRESENT VERMONT LAWS THAT WILL SHOCK YOU, INCLUDING A HEFTY FINE FOR PAINTING A HORSE

“Whoever, without the consent of the owner thereof, knowingly and wilfully effaces, alters or covers over, or procures to be effaced, altered or covered over, the name, initial or device of any dealer in milk, marked or stamped upon a milk can, or whoever, with intent to defraud and without such consent, detains or uses in his business any such can having the name, initial or device of any dealer in milk so marked or stamped thereon, shall be punished by a fine of not more than ten dollars,” Chapter 255, Section 128 of Massachusetts law states. 

3. No more than 1% alcohol in candy

Don’t expect any boozy candy in Massachusetts, as candy must contain less than 1% alcohol, according to state laws. 

This is written out in Chapter 270, Section 8 of the General Law in Massachusetts. 

Breaking this law could result in a fine of up to $100. 

Candy in Massachusetts must contain less than 1% alcohol. (ANDER GILLENEA/AFP via Getty Images)

4. Fines for singing or playing the national anthem

Before the famous lyrics “O say can you see” leave your lips in Massachusetts, consider this law in the state. 

Whoever belts “The Star-Spangled Banner” or plays it on an instrument in any sort of public space “other than as a whole and separate composition or number” could face a fine up to $100. 

BIZARRE NEW YORK LAWS INCLUDE RESTRICTIONS, PENALTIES FOR TAKING A SELFIE WITH A TIGER

Chapter 264, Section 9 of Massachusetts law states that “whoever plays, sings or renders the ‘Star Spangled Banner’ in any public place, theatre, motion picture hall, restaurant or café, or at any public entertainment, other than as a whole and separate composition or number, without embellishment or addition in the way of national or other melodies, or whoever plays, sings or renders the ‘Star Spangled Banner’, or any part thereof, as dance music, as an exit march or as a part of a medley of any kind, shall be punished by a fine of not more than one hundred dollars.”

5. Avoid changing the color of a rabbit or a chicken

There are several stipulations in Massachusetts law about baby chicks, ducklings, rabbits and other fowl in terms of their sale, barter or gifting. 

This includes the dyeing or coloring of these animals. 

“No person shall sell, offer for sale, barter, display or give away living rabbits, chickens, ducklings or other fowl which have been dyed, colored or otherwise treated so as to impart to them an artificial color,” Chapter 272, Section 80D of state law explains. 

There is a law against dyeing baby chickens in Massachusetts. (KIRILL KUDRYAVTSEV/AFP via Getty Images)

An additional provision of this law includes the sale, barter or gift of ducklings, baby chickens or fowl under 2 months old. 

“Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit the sale or display of baby chickens, ducklings or other fowl under two months of age by breeders or stores engaged in the business of selling for purposes of commercial breeding and raising; provided, however, that prior to May first in any year, such ducklings may be sold or purchased only in quantities of twenty-four or more,” the law explains. 

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP 

“This section shall not prohibit, however, the sale or donation of such chickens, ducklings or fowl to schools for use in classroom instruction,” per the state law. 

Those who violate this law could face a fine of up to $100. 

6. Spooky real estate rule

Real estate laws vary state-by-state. 

One differentiation between states in terms of real estate is how much information is legally required to be disclosed to potential buyers. This includes spooky events and the property being haunted.

In Massachusetts, a seller “doesn’t need to disclose psychologically affected property, including an alleged parapsychological or supernatural phenomenon,” according to Zillow’s website. 

CONCORD, N.H. — Some New Hampshire families are spending nearly one-third of their income on child care, according to a new analysis from the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire. 

Child care costs have gone up significantly in recent years, swelling 48 percent from 2013 to 2023 in New Hampshire, the analysis found. And there was an uptick in costs in the post-pandemic years, growing 12.5 percent from 2022 to 2023. 

Take, for instance, a family with one infant and a 4-year-old going to a day-care center. They are spending, on average, $33,257 per year on child care: $17,250 per year for the infant, and $16,007 for the toddler, according to the nonprofit Child Care Aware of America.

With the median family in New Hampshire with children under 5 earning about $112,230, according to the analysis, that means about 29 percent of their income would have to go to child care alone.

In the course of a year, that would make child care the single biggest expense for many families, more than the cost of housing ($11,400 to $20,772), food ($12,456 to $13,068), and health care ($12,876 to $13,068), according to the New Hampshire Fiscal Policy Institute. 

“The prices are rapidly increasing,” said Tyrus Parker, a research scientist at the University of New Hampshire and co-author of the analysis. 

What is driving that? 

“I think the price increase is due to a mix of factors, although I’d be hard pressed to assign a share to any given factor,” said Jess Carson, director of the Center for Social Policy in Practice at UNH and co-author of the analysis. 

The increased cost of rent, utilities, food, and cleaning supplies also affects child-care providers, she said. Plus, there are workforce shortages that can drive up wages to recruit and retain staff, she said. If they don’t have enough staff, providers have to decrease their enrollment – but that doesn’t necessarily bring a proportional savings in operating costs, according to Carson. 

And, she said, now that pandemic-era aid has wound down, the only way providers can increase revenue is by increasing tuition. The economic impact can ripple out beyond the immediate families affected, taking parents who can’t afford child care out of the workforce. 

“Families have to make compromises based on their economic realities,” said Parker. 

“Maybe a family would like their child to be in care five days a week, but instead they have to opt for three days, and then one of the parents goes down to working part time just because the cost of child care is too high,” he said.

This story first appeared in Globe NH | Morning Report, our free newsletter focused on the news you need to know about New Hampshire, including great coverage from the Boston Globe and links to interesting articles from other places. If you’d like to receive it via e-mail Monday through Friday, you can sign up here.

Amanda Gokee can be reached at amanda.gokee@globe.com. Follow her @amanda_gokee.