April 23, 2012
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) has filed an official complaint against Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (PPNNE), saying the group is breaking New Hampshire state law by directly providing abortifacient drugs to women, WORLD News Service reports. According to the complaint, filed with the New Hampshire Board of Pharmacy, "Planned Parenthood does not have a pharmacist on site at any of its six clinics, but distributes birth control, the morning-after pill, RU-486 and other pharmaceuticals related to its family planning and abortion business." New Hampshire requires family-planning groups to contract with the state in order to dispense such drugs, and those without contracts -- such as PPNNE, whose state contract expired last July -- are required to send women to licensed pharmacies. "No matter where a person stands on abortion, everyone should agree Planned Parenthood has to play by the same rules as everyone else," said Michael Tierney, a lawyer affiliated with ADF. The Board of Pharmacy has the power to revoke or suspend a license, not renew it, or impose fines on Planned Parenthood; board members could choose any of those options regardless of whether PPNNE receives another contract with New Hampshire.