New Hampshire women seeking to end a pregnancy after 24 weeks will have to travel out of the state starting Jan. 1, as the Granite state puts in place new restrictions on abortions that could require an ultrasound before any legal procedure.
"Essentially, there's no way to enforce the law unless an ultrasound is done to ascertain the age of the unborn child," said New Hampshire Right to Life President Jason Hennessey.
Beyond the ultrasound requirement, the New Hampshire law is stricter than the similar 24-week ban in place in Massachusetts because it doesn't allow for abortions in cases of rape, incest or fatal birth defects.
"It is a law that really dictates how providers deliver health care in a way that isn't consistent with best medical practices, because often an ultrasound just isn't necessary," Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund Vice President of Public Affairs Kayla Montgomery told GBH News.
Gov. Chris Sununu signed the ban into law this past summer as part of a budget package passed by the state legislature's Republican majority.
"We really just want the baby's interests to be taken into consideration, and that's and that's what the prime motivation of this law was," Hennessey said.
