The New Hampshire Kamala Harris and New Hampshire Democratic Party coordinated campaign — which has been expanding their lead in one in-state poll after another — has begun setting their sights on top Trump allies in the state.
Trump allies like Kelly Ayotte.
In a press conference on Thursday, where healthcare leaders and elected officials condemned Donald Trump’s Project 2025 agenda, the campaign also went after Republican gubernatorial candidate Kelly Ayotte’s long legislative record, making the case that the two have worked hand-in-hand in endangering access to in vitro fertilization (IVF) and eroding reproductive freedoms both here in New Hampshire and nationally.
The event follows a closely watched vote in the US Senate, in which Trump allies blocked a bipartisan bill that aimed to protect IVF access for families across the country. The bill, known as the Right to IVF Act, was voted down this week despite support from both Democrats and some Republicans.
Trump’s running mate, JD Vance, abstained from the vote, just months after voting against similar legislation. The failed vote has further inflamed debates over reproductive rights as the country moves toward the November 2024 election where the topic has dominated the race.
Dr. Kristen Bannister, a New Hampshire obstetrician-gynecologist with over two decades of experience, delivered remarks at the event on how policies championed by both Trump and Ayotte have directly affected women’s health in New Hampshire, and said that Ayotte’s recent claims on abortion and IVF are not to be trusted.
“Kelly Ayotte is trying to mislead Granite Staters about her anti-choice agenda, but the people of New Hampshire should not be fooled.” Bannister said. “Let’s be clear, the chaos that we see unfolding across our country right now was caused by Donald Trump, and he had the help of Kelly Ayotte. She ushered one of his anti-abortion justices, Neil Gorsuch, onto the Supreme Court. By reversing Roe v Wade, they took away our freedom. Now Ayotte has endorsed Trump.”
As an OB/GYN, Bannister has helped thousands of families deliver babies, but she stressed that not all pregnancies are planned or safe.
“Politicians who have not lived through this experience or made these hard decisions should not be deciding when and under what circumstances an abortion is permissible,” she said.
She went on to criticize Ayotte’s consistent opposition to Planned Parenthood and reproductive services, calling her support for Trump’s agenda an affront to women’s health.
Bannister highlighted her deep concerns as a medical professional, particularly about maternal deaths rising in the U.S. She noted that the current climate, fueled by anti-reproductive freedom politicians like Trump and Ayotte, is making it harder for doctors to focus on patient health and safety.
“As difficult as it is, I am able to manage hard choices in medical care, such as abortion, because I can focus on the health and well-being of my patient. This is how it should be,” Bannister emphasized.
Heather Martin, a medical assistant and maternal mental health coordinator at Dartmouth Health Pediatrics, used her experience with infertility to highlight the critical importance of IVF access. Martin explained that IVF allowed her to start her family after years of emotional and financial struggles, and that Republican efforts to rollback access to IVF were dangerous.
“IVF gave us our first son, Joshua, without the help of IVF, my sweet, kind, funny, nine year old boy would not be here today. For years, my husband and I struggled with infertility. It was an emotional journey, but IVF gave us the opportunity to make our dreams of starting a family become reality,” Martin said.
Martin, who works directly with women navigating the challenges of maternal health, expressed her outrage at the recent Senate vote and accused Trump and Ayotte of ignoring the real needs of families.
“Earlier this week, there was a bipartisan bill, the Right To IVF act, that would guarantee every American the right to access in vitro fertilization services. But Donald Trump’s Republican allies in the US Senate, once again, voted it down. And his running mate JD Vance couldn’t even be bothered to show up for that vote, having already voted this legislation down a few months ago.”
State Representative Catherine Rombeau pointed out the direct link between Trump’s anti-abortion policies and the current threat to reproductive healthcare.
“The only reason that access to IVF is currently under attack and women’s freedoms have been ripped away in states across the country is because Donald Trump overturned Roe v. Wade,” she said.
She also highlighted the recent Senate vote as evidence of the GOP’s true stance on reproductive health.
“Donald Trump claims to support IVF, but just check the receipts. Republicans had an opportunity this week to protect it, and they intentionally voted it down,” Rombeau continued.
Rombeau also pointed to Kelly Ayotte’s record on reproductive rights, noting her support for a national abortion ban and votes to allow insurers to deny coverage for IVF.
“Kelly Ayotte’s record shows she’d help bolster Trump’s efforts to rip away reproductive freedom in New Hampshire if elected,” Rombeau said, tying Ayotte to Trump’s broader Project 2025 agenda, which seeks to ban abortion nationwide and restrict access to contraception and fertility treatments.
This week’s Senate vote was the latest chapter in a series of GOP-led efforts to chip away at reproductive healthcare following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. With no federal protections for IVF access, reproductive rights advocates fear that states will enact restrictive measures that could limit families’ ability to seek fertility treatments. In Alabama earlier this year, an ambiguous court ruling regarding embryo rights briefly halted IVF services, signaling what could happen nationally if legislation like the Right to IVF Act continues to be blocked.
