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Seacoast NOW Action Alert Archive
June 9, 2004

Take Action on SB484 Emergency Contraception Veto Override

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Urge NH Senate and House to override Governor Benson's veto of SB484, that would have improved NH women's access to emergency contraception.

TIME TO TAKE ACTION!
TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE!
ACT BEFORE JUNE 17, 2004!

SB 487 - EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION

On June 4, 2004, Governor Benson vetoed SB 484, denying New Hampshire women greater access to emergency contraception. The veto proves that Governor Benson does not have women's best interests in mind, and is most concerned with winning the votes of an extreme minority who oppose expanded access to contraception.

Improved access to emergency contraception in New Hampshire would reduce the rate of unintended pregnancy, including for survivors of sexual assault. We have just one more chance to enact this proactive, pro-choice measure!

This spring, both the New Hampshire Senate and House voted overwhelmingly to pass SB 484. We need just a few more votes in each house to ensure the two-thirds majorities necessary to override Governor Benson's veto.

TAKE ACTION:
Contact your New Hampshire Senator and your New Hampshire Representative(s) today and urge them to override Governor Benson's veto of SB 484 on Thursday, June 17. With your help, we can improve access to emergency contraception for the women of New Hampshire!

ABOUT EC:
Emergency contraception (EC), also known as "the morning-after pill," is a concentrated dose of ordinary birth control pills that can dramatically reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant if taken as soon as possible after unprotected sex. In fact, EC can reduce a woman's chance of becoming pregnant by up to 89 percent if taken within days of unprotected sex. Increased use of EC could reduce the number of unintended pregnancies and abortions by half. EC is not abortion and does not work if a woman is already pregnant.

Because EC is more effective the sooner it is taken, any delay in accessing the pills increases the risk of unintended pregnancy. Time is short for women to locate and contact providers to obtain prescriptions. SB 484 helps to eliminate unnecessary barriers by allowing women to obtain EC directly from licensed pharmacists who have established formal arrangements with licensed prescribers.

ABOUT THE VETO:
To justify his veto of SB 484, Governor Benson cited the FDA’s refusal to make EC available over-the-counter because it questioned teenagers' ability to safely access EC without the supervision of licensed prescribers. Yet the Governor's justification, like the FDA's decision, was rooted in politics, rather than in scientific evidence, and disregards the role that licensed prescribers would play under SB 484. The Governor also expressed the need for parental involvement, ignoring the fact that in New Hampshire, teenagers currently may obtain contraception without notifying a parent.

In addition, Governor Benson argued that EC should not be available to women unless licensed prescribers examine them first, despite the current practice of most prescribers to provide EC over the phone. Furthermore, the New Hampshire Medical Society supports SB 484, along with the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy and the New Hampshire Coalition Against Domestic and Sexual Violence.

If the Legislature overrides Governor Benson's veto, New Hampshire would join six other states in allowing direct provision of EC through pharmacies, and become the second state to enact such legislation this year.

WHO IS YOUR LEGISLATOR:
To find out who to call to urge them to override Benson's veto, go to the following website and type in your town's name:

www.gencourt.state.nh.us/ns/whosmyleg/

Or go to www.naralnh.org to learn more about Emergency Contraception. Thanks to Naral Prochoice NH for the text for this alert and for their efforts to help women in New Hampshire.

To learn more about Seacoast NOW, go to www.SeacoastNOW.org or call Suzy Colt at 942-5135.

For more information, email Seacoast NOW at info@seacoastnow.org.

Last Updated June 9, 2004