Sometime in the next two months, the heavily conservative U.S. Supreme Court will possibly decimate the foundation of Roe v. Wade — and the legality of abortion care will be left up to each state. That’s why the Freedom From Religion Foundation is applauding states such as Connecticut for passing bills that protect and expand abortion care.
Connecticut legislators have this week approved a bill that increases the number of medical professionals who are allowed to perform abortions. Connecticut has now become the 15th state to permit advanced-practice clinicians and physician assistants to perform first-trimester abortions, which will augment the number of abortion providers and reduce the average two-week wait time for first-trimester abortions.
Legislators also passed a second bill that will make Connecticut a “safe harbor” for those individuals seeking abortion care who live in anti-abortion states. Specifically, the bill restricts how Connecticut health-care records can be accessed by plaintiffs from abortion bounty states like Texas. It would also give those targeted by abortion bounty hunters a legal right to recover legal costs in Connecticut. This is particularly important since states such as Idaho are passing or contemplating copy-cat versions of Texas’ draconian bill, which allows people to be sued for helping someone seek an abortion.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont has pledged to sign these bills. “We’re making sure that when it comes to our women, when it comes to our choice, when it comes to these cultural wars, we stand on behalf of the women in the state of Connecticut, and that’s not gonna change,” he explains.
FFRF praises the governor for these sentiments — and reiterates how worried it is about the national onslaught on abortion rights.
“We’re in a full-blown crisis in the United States when it comes to reproductive liberty,” says Annie Laurie Gaylor, FFRF co-president. “That crisis will only get worse, and it’s the result of Trump stacking our Supreme Court and federal judiciary with religious extremists and individuals who passed explicit anti-abortion or Christian nationalist litmus tests. We need to rebalance the courts and move on court reform.”
As the future of abortion hangs in the balance, we encourage our membership and those who care about reproductive freedom to urge lawmakers in their states to follow Connecticut’s lead and commit to protecting abortion rights.
