Saturday marks a year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, ending the constitutional right to an abortion.
In front of a mural of trailblazing American women in Hartford on Thursday, advocates and Democratic legislators said they remain committed to preserving reproductive rights in Connecticut.
The state passed the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act last year. The law protects Connecticut providers who perform legal abortions from out-of-state lawsuits.
Lieutenant Governor Susan Bysiewicz said it allows the state to perform abortions for pregnant individuals from states with abortion bans.
“Abortion is safe, legal and protected in Connecticut,” Bysiewicz said. “We want the women of Connecticut to know that and we want women across America to know that. Because if abortion is prohibited in your state, come to Connecticut to get access to care, because we protect not only women, but we protect our health care providers who give that access.”
Since the Dobbs decision, some Republican run states have placed extreme regulations and even outright bans on abortion.
Connecticut's Attorney General William Tong appointed two special councils to ensure reproductive healthcare is protected in Connecticut earlier this week.
“We've seen states across this country, Mississippi, Texas, and beyond, pass the most draconian abortion bans they can dream up in their radical right wing laboratories,” Tong said. “We've seen in other states far right legislators try to pass draconian abortion bans and fail because the people rose up, in Kansas and South Carolina and Nebraska. People are fighting across the country for civil rights for women, for patients, for control over their own bodies.”
Dr. Nancy Stanwood, chief medical officer at Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, joined advocates and lawmakers in a roundtable discussion about reproductive healthcare in Connecticut post Dobbs.
She said the protection provided by the state is vital.
“Such actions make providers like me feel assured that the state government has our backs and trusts patients to make healthcare decisions that are best for them,” Stanwood said. “This allows us at Planned Parenthood to focus on our mission of care, no matter what.”
Bysiewicz said the state is offering free legal advice to anyone looking to access reproductive healthcare in Connecticut. To contact a representative, call 212-899-5567.
