Who we are, what we do and the way we do it, is a story that goes back to 1973 and the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision legalizing abortion.

After the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision, activists throughout the country celebrated the end of illegal, unsafe abortion and the suffering and death it had caused for decades. But the Supreme Court’s decision was only the beginning: making abortion legal didn’t make it immediately available or affordable. At that time in New Hampshire, abortions were expensive and performed mainly in hospitals, and people were given little information and virtually no emotional support.

Soon a group of feminist in Concord began meeting to figure out how to address the needs of New Hampshire citizens for accessible, affordable abortion services. Their vision – a radical one for the time – was of a non-profit, freestanding clinic where abortion care would be nurturing, compassionate, empowering, and respectful of the dignity of every person. This vision was realized on October 19, 1974 when New Hampshire Women’s Health Services – later to be renamed Concord Feminist Health Center – opened its doors at 38 South Main Street in downtown Concord.

Over the four decades since we opened, our services expanded to include a wider range of reproductive health care. We also expanded the clients we serve to all people who need reproductive health care. In order to better reflect the organization’s broader healthcare commitment and give the public better insight to the recent expansion of services to men and the LGBTQ community, it was important to find a name that was inclusive and one that all of our patients would resonate with. In 2016, we proudly changed our name to Equality Health Center.

Our goal is continue to provide the highest quality of treatment to our community far into the future and ensure that those who turn to us for care leave feeling accepted, empowered, and dignified.