Reproductive Health Services

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Planned Parenthood decision could limit health care access for Connecticut women, advocates said Thursday, as it opens the door for Congress, now considering the federal budget, to remove Planned Parenthood from Medicaid.

Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont and abortion rights advocates marked the third anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision by highlighting the state’s efforts to strengthen abortion rights at the State Capitol in Hartford on Tuesday.

Three years after Dobbs, CT Democrats warn a federal budget bill could cut Medicaid funding for reproductive health providers like Planned Parenthood, threatening care for thousands of patients.

CT issued an initial denial of a request to close Johnson Memorial Hospital’s birthing unit, but Trinity Health can appeal the decision.

Connecticut has joined Massachusetts and New Hampshire to bring reproductive healthcare to Americans living in places with abortion bans.

Gov. Ned Lamont has signed legislation allowing free-standing birth centers to operate in Connecticut, starting in 2024. These will serve as an alternative to traditional hospital maternity wards, which in some rural areas of the state are being closed down.

According to Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, the state has seen a 56% increase in the number of people traveling to Connecticut for abortions.

U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) wants the federal government to pledge $1 billion to support 13 bills to curb the maternal health crisis.

More women are coming into Connecticut for abortion care, and the state is training more medical professionals to meet that demand.