Connecticut Expands Abortion Rights and Protections

From Stamford to Hartford and across the country, protest rallies erupted upon hearing that the US Supreme Court, with three Trump appointees, has drafted an opinion to overturn Roe v. Wade, the 50 year constitutional guarantee for women's reproductive rights and health. Connecticut codified Roe v. Wade into state law in 1990. \

At a protest in Norwalk, Edson Rivas executive director of the Triangle Community Center, which serves the LGBTQ community. said not only abortion rights, but also other rights could be at risk,

Seventeen Governors including Ned Lamont issued a letter to Congress calling for immediate passage by the Senate of S 1975, the Women's Health Protection Act of 2021. to protect women's reproductive rights and access to abortion. The bill is sponsored by Sen. Blumenthal with Sen Murphy co-sponsoring. A strong companion bill was passed in the House last year with support of all five Connecticut representatives.

Lamont reaffirmed that he will sign into law a first-in-the-nation bill approved by the Connecticut Legislature in April to protect medical providers and patients seeking abortion care in Connecticut who may be traveling from other states that have outlawed abortion. The bill also expands the type of practitioners eligible to perform certain abortion-related care.

“I am proud to stand up for access to reproductive healthcare and reproductive freedom. As long as I am governor of this great state, we’ll never waiver on the right to choose, and the belief that medical decisions should be made between a patient and their doctor,” said Lamont.

The issue of racial disparities in abortions, not addressed in the legislation, came up for debate in the legislative session. Low income Black, Brown and white women already lack access to quality health care disproportionately..

The right-wing, anti-abortion Family Institute of Connecticut is already using this issue to attempt to drive a wedge among Democrats in November's elections.

Speaking at a press conference at the State Capitol, Claudine Constant, Connecticut ACLU policy and advocacy director, issued a call to organizers and advocates to “Show up. Don't stop yelling.”