Dear Sir:
At the conclusion of the 2021 legislative session, Governor Sununu signed two very controversial and dangerous bills, HB 220, and HB2. The relevant sections of these bills are as follows;
HB 220 states, “Every person has the natural, essential, and inherent right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion by government to accept an immunization. Accordingly, no person may be compelled to receive an immunization for COVID-19 in order to secure, receive, or access any public facility, any public benefit, or any public service from the state of New Hampshire, or any political subdivision thereof, including but not limited to counties, cities, towns, precincts, water districts, school districts, school administrative units, or quasi-public entities.”
Section 39 of HB 2 states: “Except in the case of a medical emergency as specifically defined in paragraph III, no abortion shall be performed, induced, or attempted by any health care provider unless a health care provider has first made a determination of the probable gestational age of the fetus… the health care provider shall conduct an obstetric ultrasound examination of the patient for the purpose of making the determination.” For the record, the medical emergency stated in the bill does not provide an exception for a fatal fetal diagnosis, rape, or incest.
After reading both these bills, a reasonable person could be excused for questioning the level of inconsistency, and hypocrisy of protecting the bodily integrity of every person when it comes to only one medical intervention, Covid-19 immunization, while requiring an invasive transvaginal ultrasound examination, thereby ignoring and literally trampling those same rights when it comes to the natural, essential, and inherent right to bodily integrity, free from andy threat or compulsion by government. with regard to a woman’s most sensitive and private bodily integrity.
HB 220, which prohibits public vaccine mandates, and allows unvaccinated people free access to all “public facilities” will do great harm to the public health, especially in light of the rapidly spreading very contagious Delta variant. Instead of encouraging and placing restrictions of the unvaccinated, this bill protects and rewards those who have decided to put themselves and the community at risk. On the other hand, the HB2 transvaginal ultrasound mandate, does nothing to protect public health or the individual concerned. It represents nothing less than a form of punishment, ridicule, and the worst form of abuse of a woman’s most sacred right to privacy and bodily integrity.
Those who allowed such egregious legislation to become law need to be held accountable. They have placed their own personal political fortunes and aspirations above the public health and the rights of women. This level of hypocrisy and political pandering to a radical right wing ideology is not consistent with good government or the values of the vast majority of the people of New Hampshire.
Rich DiPentima, RN, MPH
Portsmouth, N.H.
Rich:
At some point we begin to wonder if Governor Sununu and his merry band of moral munchkins are just funnin’ with us.
Are they truly blind to this hypocrisy? Is that even possible? Or do they just not care?
The Editor
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