Give New Hampshire Executive Councilor Chris Sununu credit for doing the right thing when he reversed his position last week and voted to approve a $638,000 state contract that included money for Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

The measure passed 3-2 – Sununu voted with the council’s two Democrats to approve the funding – and brought the Republican candidate for governor in for major criticism from the rest of the field seeking the GOP nomination to replace Gov. Maggie Hassan.

It was the right thing to do because Planned Parenthood provides health services – including cancer screenings and birth control – for about 12,000 New Hampshire women.

It also represented an abrupt change of direction for Sununu, who was the swing vote when councilors voted just last August to cut off one-third of Planned Parenthood’s public funding. At the time, Sununu cited videos that claimed to show Planned Parenthood employees selling fetal tissue for profit. Investigations have since cleared Planned Parenthood of wrongdoing.

"Those investigations are gone," Sununu said. "They’ve been debunked, so it’s time for us to move forward, do the right thing and make sure these funds are put out to help the women of the state."

Because the organization offers abortion services in some locations, Planned Parenthood is a political lightning rod, but none of the money approved in the state contract will go to provide abortions. It will fund women’s health and family planning services, mostly in Manchester, Keene, Derry, Exeter and Claremont.

As an added incentive to approve the contract, the federal government is increasing its matching component, said Health and Human Services Commissioner Jeffrey Meyers.

Of course, none of that stopped Sununu’s fellow Republican candidates for governor from beating him up about his vote.

"Conservatives cannot trust Chris Sununu," state Sen. Jeanie Forrester said in a statement. "He just doesn’t get it."

Sununu, said Manchester Mayor Ted Gatsas, "turned his back on conservative grassroots activists."

Wilton state Rep. Frank Edelblut railed against Sununu for waffling on the issue: "He falsely claims his conscience told him to vote ‘yes’ when he voted ‘no’ just a few short months ago on the exact same contract."

Voters will have to decide for themselves whether either of Sununu’s Planned Parenthood votes were made for purposes of political expediency. But whatever his motivations, it was a vote for the right thing.

At the same time, it is worth noting that one of the other candidates for governor – a Democrat – also voted to approve the Planned Parenthood contract and it caused no gnashing of teeth.

"I would hope that this item is one of those things that bring us together. We’re talking birth control, cancer screenings, annual exams," Executive Councilor Colin Van Ostern said. "This should not be political. This should not be controversial."

But among those who voted against the contract to help thousands of the state’s women access the health services Planned Parenthood offers was Executive Councilor David Wheeler, R-Milford, who represents the Greater Nashua area.

Wheeler insists that Planned Parenthood was "indeed selling baby parts" and committing Medicaid fraud in other parts of the country.

"If they are going to choose to do this, we shouldn’t be doing business with them," Wheeler said.

Wheeler deserves credit for being consistent in his opposition to Planned Parenthood, perhaps, but that consistency does nothing to help the 12,000 New Hampshire women who trust the organization with their health care.

Newsletter