Lawmakers in New Hampshire say that federal grants for a local Planned Parenthood usurp the state’s authority, and are considering a law that would deem the grants "invalid".
The New Hampshire Union Leader reports:
House Concurrent Resolution 41 (HCR 41) urges "the United States Congress to find that the Department of Health and Human Services' grant to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England is unconstitutional and void."
Speaking before the House Constitutional Review and Statutory Recodification Committee, resolution sponsor Rep. Daniel Itse, R-Fremont, acknowledged that the measure would not reverse the funding decision.
"It'd be an official statement that we take umbrage at you taking an end-run around the state's authority," he said. "Among other things, it says ‘Guys, we are watching you.'" The resolution comes as Planned Parenthood increasingly finds itself in the cross-hairs of anti-abortion lawmakers, who insist that no public money should go to an organization that provides abortions, even if it offers other health services.