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Sununu Can’t Escape Record of Voting to Cut Planned Parenthood

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Sununu Can’t Escape Record of Voting to Cut Planned Parenthood 

Sununu blocked healthcare funding for nearly 12,000 NH women 

The damage is done. 

Chris Sununu voted against Planned Parenthood funding before he voted for it. 

Despite today’s flip-flop vote on Planned Parenthood, Chris Sununu cannot escape his record of denying funding for women’s healthcare in New Hampshire. 

Last August, Sununu cast the deciding vote in New Hampshire’s Executive Council to block more than $600,000 in funding for Planned Parenthood. Those state contracts would have gone to help the organization provide safe and affordable healthcare choices to nearly 12,000 Granite State women and men. 

“Chris Sununu’s record is clear: He cast the deciding vote to block access to health care for 12,000 New Hampshire women and men for a year,” said DGA communications director Jared Leopold. “New Hampshire voters will hold Chris Sununu accountable for his vote to block reproductive health care. Chris Sununu has shown that he’ll always put his own political ambition first. 

“Whether it’s Ted Gatsas, Chris Sununu, Jeanie Forrester or Frank Edelblut, Republicans will nominate a candidate opposed to Planned Parenthood and women’s health care. That is a recipe for failure in a state where 71% of voters support a woman’s right to choose.” 

Exit polls from 2012 show that 71 percent of New Hampshire voters supported a women’s right to choose. 

After casting the vote that cut-off state funding for women’s healthcare for nearly one year, Sununu said Planned Parenthood had “Proved themselves to be bullies and I don’t do business with bullies.” 

New Hampshire editorial boards attacked Sununu, calling his comments “vindictive and not worthy of someone who wants to be our state’s next governor.” 

BACKGROUND

On August 5, 2015 Sununu Voted Against Authorization of Funding for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. According to the New Hampshire Executive Council meeting minutes, The Governor and Council Authorized 3 of the 5 agreements as requested by the Maternal and child Health Section, Family Planning Program to enter into retroactive agreements with the vendors as detailed in letter dated July 15, 2015, to provide family planning services, in an amount not to exceed $1,070,000. Each agreement within Item No. 18 was voted on separately:

  • Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, Claremont—Councilors Kenney, Sununu and Wheeler voted NO, therefore, the agreement failed.

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England Serves 12,000 New Hampshire Women, Men, and Young People Each Year. According to Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund, “12,000 #NH women, men, and young people rely on @ppnnehealth for basic health care. It’s time for #FundPP!” [Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund Twitter, 6/29/16]

In August 2015, Planned Parenthood of New England Said It Had to Reduce Office Hours Statewide Because of the Funding Cuts. According to WMUR, “Organizers and supporters of Planned Parenthood New Hampshire say losing $600,000 from the group’s budget is affecting the health of women across the state. Two dozen pink-clad supporters crammed into the Exeter Planned Parenthood on Wednesday to show the effect of the cuts. Those cuts came after activists posted undercover videos allegedly showing national Planned Parenthood leaders discussing the sale of fetal tissue. ‘Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is not an organization the offers fetal tissue donation to its patients, and the idea that one of our counselors would insist on an investigation and the use of public resources to send law enforcement into our offices to raise questions about something that doesn’t even happen here,’ said Jennifer Frizzell, of the Planned Parenthood New Hampshire Action Fund. Planned Parenthood of New England said it has had to reduce office hours statewide because of the funding cuts. The organization plans to re-apply for state funding.” [WMUR, 8/27/15]

In January 2016, Sununu Said Planned Parenthood “Proved Themselves to Be Bullies and I Don’t Do Business with Bullies.” According to Seacoast Online, “In interviews Wednesday and Thursday he said his continued opposition to the contracts is based on Gov. Maggie Hassan’s refusal to investigate Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and because of attacks against him by the women’s health care provider following his vote against the contracts. ‘They proved themselves to be bullies and I don’t do business with bullies,’ Sununu said.” [Seacoast Online, 1/28/16

In March 2016 Gatsas Said He Would Vote Against Any Public Funding for Planned Parenthood. According to New Hampshire Public Radio, reporter Brady Carlson asked Gatsas if New Hampshire should be open to contracting with Planned Parenthood of Northern New England in the future. Gatsas responded, “I can tell you that in the Senate I voted against funding for Planned Parenthood in the past. I would vote against any public funding for Planned Parenthood.” [New Hampshire Public Radio, 3/20/16

In November 2015, Jeanie Forrester Received a 100% from New Hampshire Right to Life. According to Project Vote Smart Jeanie Forrester received a 100% rating from New Hampshire Right to Life. [Project Vote Smart, accessed 6/8/16

In April 2016 Edelblut Said He Opposes Taxpayer Funding for Abortions. During an April 4, 2016 question and answer with the Plymouth Area Tea Party Patriots, Edelblut said, “So, I am a prolife candidate. You know, I come at this, I could talk to you about this from a religious, a philosophical, a theological, but we’re here for politics tonight right? So I would talk about this from a political perspective. From a political perspective we have to answer the question: The constitution affords the citizens certain rights. So at what point to those constitutional rights inure to a child in the womb? Everybody agrees. I shouldn’t say that. Some people would say that you have to wait until that baby is born before that baby as protectable constitutional rights. Most reasonable people back it up far before that. I don’t think it makes sense as a leader who’s responsible for extending constitutional rights to all citizens, I’m just going to start when they’re conceived because I’m not smart enough to figure out exactly when that is if I needed to, so we’re just going to start protecting constitutional rights at conception. So, I don’t think we need to be, abortion is such a divisive issue in culture and society. We do not need to be putting taxpayers into that process, taxpayer dollars into that process. And so I would, I don’t think that we should be funding, that any taxpayer funding should be going to Planned Parenthood or to any, it’s not just Planned Parenthood, it’s to any abortion providers.” [Plymouth Area Tea Party Patriots Meeting with Frank Edelblut, Pemi Baker TV YouTube, 22:25 4/7/16

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