Governor Hassan Praises Action to Stop Defunding of Planned Parenthood; Calls on Senator Ayotte to Tell Voters if She'll Block New Rule

Press Release

Today, Governor Maggie Hassan praised the Obama administration's new proposed rule to prevent states from defunding Planned Parenthood for political reasons, and urged Senator Kelly Ayotte to tell the people of New Hampshire whether she will stand with members of her party who want to block the rule.

"I will always stand up for a woman's right to make her own health care decisions and control her own destiny, and the Obama administration's proposed rule is an important step toward ensuring that no woman is denied safe and affordable health care because of partisan politics," said Governor Maggie Hassan. "Given her record of voting to defund Planned Parenthood six times, I call on Senator Ayotte to tell Granite Staters whether she will also stand with members of her political party in trying to block this important rule and undermine women's access to quality, affordable health care."

Governor Hassan has a strong record of fighting to ensure that all women have the freedom to make their own health care decisions. As Governor, she restored family planning funds, including successfully restoring funding to Planned Parenthood, which provides critical primary and preventive health care services to thousands of New Hampshire women, including preventative care, birth control and cancer screenings.

Senator Ayotte, in contrast, has voted six times to defund Planned Parenthood and has also voted to cut all funding to the Title X Family Planning Program, which helps fund 4,200 Family Planning Centers that provide access to breast and cervical cancer screenings and other preventive health care to many low-income women.

Ayotte also supports the backward Hobby Lobby Supreme Court decision that allows employers to deny contraceptive coverage to some women. She introduced legislation that the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists said would restrict access and make birth control more expensive. And she has voted five times to repeal the Affordable Care Act, which makes preventative care like mammograms available to Granite State women with no co-pay.

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