About
Learn More about our progressive online community for the Granite State.

Create an account today (it's free and easy) and get started!
Menu

Make a New Account

Username:

Password:



Forget your username or password?


Search




Advanced Search


The Masthead
Managing Editor
Mike Hoefer

Editors
elwood
susanthe
 William Tucker
The Roll, Etc.
Prog Blogs, Orgs & Alumni
Bank Slate
Betsy Devine
birch paper
Democracy for NH
Granite State Progress
Mike Caulfield
Miscellany Blue
Pickup Patriots
Re-BlueNH
Still No Going Back
Susan the Bruce
New Hampshire Labor News
Chaz Proulx: Right Wing Watch

Politicos & Punditry
The Burt Cohen Show
John Gregg
Landrigan
Pindell
Primary Monitor
Scala
Schoenberg
Spiliotes

Campaigns, Et Alia.
NH-Gov
- Maggie Hassan
NH-01
- Andrew Hosmer
- Carol Shea-Porter
- Joanne Dowdell
NH-02
- Ann McLane Kuster

ActBlue Hampshire
NHDP
DCCC
DSCC
DNC

National
Balloon Juice
billmon
Congress Matters
DailyKos
Digby
Hold Fast
Eschaton
FiveThirtyEight
MyDD
Open Left
Senate Guru
Swing State Project
Talking Points Memo

50 State Blog Network
Alabama
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Iowa
Louisiana
Maine
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York
North Carolina
North Dakota
Ohio
Oklahoma
Oregon
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Texas
Texas
Utah
Vermont
Virginia
Washington
West Virginia
Wisconsin

ICYMI: Councilors Challenge Planned Parenthood Contract

by: William Tucker

Mon Oct 03, 2011 at 15:42:14 PM EDT

Three Executive Councilors have taken legal action to stop access to preventive care at Planned Parenthood centers in New Hampshire. Councilors David Wheeler, Dan St. Hilaire and Ray Wieczorek joined forces with the Arizona-based Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) in an attempt to void a federal grant recently awarded to Planned Parenthood for family planning services.

The Alliance Defense Fund is a conservative Christian legal organization founded by high-profile Religious Right leaders including D. James Kennedy and James Dobson. The ADF works to actively promote "marriage protection," expose the "homosexual agenda" and fight the supposed "war on Christmas."

The federal government had stepped in and awarded the grant after the Executive Council left 16,000 New Hampshire residents without access to vital health care services including cervical cancer screenings, breast exams and treatment for sexually transmitted infections.

In the legal filing, the councilors claim the federal grant is "improper, irregular, unnecessary, in contravention of the authority of the Executive Council and its duly elected members, and in disregard for the sovereignty of the State of New Hampshire.” St. Hilaire acknowledged that he filed the petition at the behest of the Alliance Defense Fund.

St. Hilaire said he was contacted by ADF about signing the letter. “The legal counsel contacted us and said they wanted to file a letter and asked us to sign off on it,” which he did, he said.
William Tucker :: ICYMI: Councilors Challenge Planned Parenthood Contract
Tags: (All Tags)
Print Friendly View Send As Email
ICYMI: Councilors Challenge Planned Parenthood Contract | 8 comments
Do the executive councilors (4.00 / 1)
work for us, their constituents, or for outside extremist religious groups?  Do they believe that once they are elected, they can do anything they please?  Anything that looks like a good idea, without thinking?  
Is there any recourse for us?  I would suppose we can't recall, can we impeach?  
Impeachment sounds like a great idea. (4.00 / 1)
I'd work for that goal.  Why do republicans hate their fellow citizens? especially women?  especially poor women?  
[ Parent ]
I'd love to recall or impeach (4.00 / 1)
Problem with a impeachment is we need the legislature to do it.  Yeah, 'cause that's gonna happen with what we got in the House...

"We start working to beat these guys right now." -Jed Bartlet
[ Parent ]
Hard to imagine, isn't it? (0.00 / 0)
I guess we just see how much damage they can do and get rid of them next year.  Sigh.  Why do they hate women?
[ Parent ]
Women, the elderly, gay, straight... (0.00 / 0)
I think they hate everyone that isn't as well-off, doesn't believe as they do.

"We start working to beat these guys right now." -Jed Bartlet
[ Parent ]
Did they meet as agroup and decide to sign? (0.00 / 0)
Don't they have to vote approve legal action? Did they do it together? That could be an illegal meeting...but it certainly sounds as if they are making decisions outside of a properly noticed meeting.

"We Demand Rigidly Defined Areas of Doubt and Uncertainty" D. Adams
What right does the EC have to tell the Federal government it cannot fund Planned Parenthood? (0.00 / 0)
The EC has jurisdiction over state agencies, the expenditure of state funds and the expenditure of federal funds to state agencies.  Planned Parenthood is NOT a state agency.  Therefore, what legal right does the EC have to tell Planned Parenthood who they can accept funding from or to tell the federal government it cannot fund an organization which is not a state agency? What legal authority does the EC have to take this kind of action at the bidding of an Arizona organization, behind closed doors and without any public notice?  
Also, what legal right did the EC have to Retain a Colorado Lawyer to Represent them? (4.00 / 2)
I would also like to know what legal authority the EC had to retain a Colorado attorney to represent them?  In their "legal filing," under the signatures of the EC members, there is the signature of an attorney from Colorado purporting to represent the EC.  I thought the Attorney General of the State of New Hampshire was charged with representing our state officials.  Who is paying the fees for this lawyer to represent the EC members??  What are the terms of the retainer agreement they have with this lawyer? NH citizens have a right to know these facts.
[ Parent ]
ICYMI: Councilors Challenge Planned Parenthood Contract | 8 comments

Connect with BH
     
Blue Hampshire Blog on Facebook
Powered by: SoapBlox