U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan shared the story of her miscarriage during a discussion about reproductive rights on Oct. 31 in Nashua. Telegraph photo by Christopher Roberson

NASHUA – With reproductive rights at the forefront of this year’s election, U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan (D-NH) recently shared her own traumatic experience of suffering a miscarriage.

It was the fall of 1991 when Hassan and her husband learned that they were pregnant for the second time.

“It took us a while to get pregnant with our second child,” she said.

In January 1992, Hassan went in for her 12-week check-up. Believing it would be a routine visit, she did not ask her husband to be there. However, that appointment was anything but routine.

Her doctor could not hear the baby’s heartbeat. A short time later, an ultrasound confirmed that the baby’s heart had stopped about two weeks earlier.

“Frankly, I felt like a failure,” said Hassan. “My husband was devastated just the way I was.”

At that point, her doctor recommended that she have a dilation and curettage procedure. Hassan said a D&C is crucial as a dead fetus can easily result in an infection.

She also shared the story of 34-year-old Brittney Watts of Ohio, who was 22 weeks pregnant when she suffered a miscarriage at home in September 2023. Two weeks later, Watts was arrested and charged with felony abuse of a corpse for how she allegedly handled the remains of her unborn child.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, Hassan said OB-GYN practitioners have become incredibly cautious about when to perform even life-saving procedures for fear of criminal prosecution. Yet, there are frequent situations where women do not have the luxury of time.

“Every second of sepsis, spreading through a woman’s body, matters,” said Hassan. “Women should be able to get basic healthcare before they’re on the brink of death.”

Maggie Goodlander, candidate for New Hampshire’s Second Congressional District, was 20 weeks pregnant when she lost her little boy.

“I was forced to manage a stillbirth on my own,” she said.

Goodlander also called attention to 28-year-old Amber Thurman of Georgia, who decided to terminate her pregnancy in 2022. Because she had exceeded the limit of Georgia’s six-week abortion ban, Thurman traveled to North Carolina to have the procedure. After receiving abortion medications mifepristone and misoprostol, Thurman developed a severe infection as she was unable to expel all of the fetal tissue.

Although a D&C was performed, the procedure did not happen for 20 hours — by then it was too late.

“Her doctor told her she was not close enough to death,” said Goodlander. “She went home and she died.”

Democratic gubernatorial candidate Joyce Craig experienced a miscarriage during her third pregnancy.

However, she said she was able to act without having to worry about government interference.

“I was able to make the best decision for me,” she said.

Craig said her opponent, Republican Kelly Ayotte, voted for a national abortion ban and to restrict access to in vitro fertilization. She also voted to defund Planned Parenthood on four occasions and advocated for the reversal of Roe v. Wade.

“Both Trump and Ayotte are trying to lie about their dangerous records,” said Craig. “Donald Trump and Kelly Ayotte are a threat to reproductive freedom.”

Former Portsmouth City Councilor Stefany Shaheen suffered a miscarriage not once, but twice. The second time she needed a D&C.

“Abortion is healthcare,” said Shaheen. “Women are being denied access to reproductive healthcare and it is costing their lives.”

However, she said Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump would implement a national abortion ban under Project 2025.

“Donald Trump has the audacity to claim that this is what the American people want,” she said. “This is the most consequential election of our lifetimes.”