The penalties associated with New Hampshire’s 24-week abortion ban will remain in place

CONCORD, N.H. (AP) — The penalties associated with New Hampshire’s 24-week abortion ban will remain in place after the state Senate on Thursday killed legislation that would have removed them. The Republican-led Senate voted 14-10 along party lines to reject a bill that would have removed the civil and criminal penalties from the 2021 ban on abortion after the 24th week of pregnancy. It also rejected adding an explicit right to abortion up to 24 weeks to state law. Both bills had passed the House, where Republicans hold a narrow 201-196 majority. Democrats unsuccessfully argued that the state should codify abortion rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade and ending the nationwide right to abortion. Republicans insisted that the existing law is sufficient.