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Abortion restrictions in NH: too few, too many, or just right?

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New Hampshire has fewer abortion restrictions than many other states, but New Hampshire also has a relatively low abortion rate.

According to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and education organization that supports "sexual and reproductive health and rights," New Hampshire has three overarching restrictions on abortion. First, New Hampshire bans "partial-birth" abortions. New Hampshire also requires parental notification before a minor's abortion. Lastly, New Hampshire only provides public funding for abortion in cases of life endangerment, rape, and/or incest. 

Other states have many other restrictions, from a maximum gestational age (usually 20 to 24 weeks) to mandatory counseling before an abortion.

New Hampshire's relatively few restrictions have not led to more abortions, however. The Guttmacher Institute reports that in 2011 (the most recent year for which data is available) New Hampshire had an abortion rate of 12.9 per 1,000 women of reproductive age. In contrast, the rate for the entire U.S. was 16.9 abortions per 1,000 women of reproductive age. 

Despite this relatively low rate of abortions, many policymakers want to increase New Hampshire's restrictions on abortion. The LFDA is tracking fourteen state bills related to abortion in 2016. On Wendesday the legislature voted down two of those bills

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