Governor Hopefuls Take Sides on Birth Control

UPDATE, 4:15 p.m.

Maggie Hassan's campaign released another statement about the contraception issue:

"Ovide Lamontagne and Speaker O'Brien have taken a bipartisan law that has worked well and been on the books for over 10 years and used it to further their extremist agenda that undermines women’s health. Then they attack me and other women for taking action to protect access to essential and basic health care. Women can make their own personal health care decisions and they do not need any politician making those decisions for them."

"As Governor, I will stand strong to protect the progress that women have made over the last century against any and all attempts to turn back the clock and undermine women."

UPDATE, 4 p.m.

GOP gubernatorial candidate Ovide Lamontagne released the following statement about the contraception issue, according to the Associated Press:

"If elected governor, my approach would be to support passage of legislation creating a `conscience clause' that exempts religious organizations from government mandates to provide contraception, where doing so would violate their faith and their constitutionally protected freedom of religion."

UPDATE, 3:45 P.M.

Democratic gubernatorial Jackie Cilley issued the following statement about the contraception issue:

“This is an issue of protecting women’s health care. This shouldn’t be about anyone’s campaign or political grandstanding. Reproductive access to contraception is bipartisan issue and a concern to both men and women.

Radicals in the current New Hampshire legislature are not just turning back the clock on a dozen years of bipartisan support for a law that guarantees women have access to contraception. They insist on trying to overturn long-standing NH laws and creating new barriers to basic freedoms for women rather than creating jobs and improving NH schools. 

The proposal to allow eliminating insurance coverage for reproductive health care and contraception is more extreme than any similar proposal anywhere in the country. 

 I’ll be standing with other men and women from around our state to say “ENOUGH” to Concord politicians. Tell them to leave our health care alone and get to work fixing our economy, creating the jobs they promised us and improving our schools. 

I am personally encouraging all men and women, of any political persuasion, who support women’s access to affordable reproductive health care and contraception to attend tomorrow’s rally."

UPDATE, 1:20 p.m.

, one of Maggie Hassan's GOP challengers in the race for governor, released a statement today attacking Hassan for her "obsession" with social issues.

The statement reads:

"It is very unfortunate that Maggie Hassan is choosing to jump start her campaign by obsessing about social issues when so many New Hampshire citizens are still looking for work."

"Since I announced my candidacy for Governor in November, I have been on the campaign trail nearly every day, visiting business and talking to community leaders about my specific plan to create good high-paying sustainable jobs in New Hampshire and lure other companies in from out-of-state.  Too many young folks are leaving our state after they graduate, while too many of our citizens have to travel out-of-state just to find a good high-paying job and that is unacceptable. These are the real issues Maggie ought to be talking about, but unfortunately she is not."

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Exeter resident and gubernatorial candidate Maggie Hassan joined several Democratic leaders in Concord today in denouncing a bill that would affect contraception coverage for women.

House Speaker Bill O'Brien's bill would allow employers to women.

Hassan, who has made her opposition to the bill of her campaign, spoke at a news conference today with State Sen. Sylvia Larsen, D-Concord, and Rep. Cindy Rosenwald, D-Nashua,

"This unbelievable attempt to turn back the clock on women’s health care must be stopped," Hassan said. "We should not go back to the days where women were paying up to $1,000 more a year out-of-pocket for basic health care."

Hassan's opponent for the Democratic nomination, Jackie Cilley, has also .

In Concord today, Larsen said: "I support Maggie Hassan to be our next Governor because she has always been a strong voice for New Hampshire women and is the leader we need to continue moving forward against those that would take us back."

Rosenwald, the former chair of the Health and Human Services Committee, said: "For those of us who care about protecting women’s health and not sending us back to the dark ages, we have to stand together and make our voices heard loud and clear.  Issues like this are exactly why we need a strong candidate for governor who will always be on the side of women and that’s why I’m here supporting Maggie today."

Tomorrow, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England and several other groups are planning a "day of action" to protest the bill.