The Connecticut Senate gave final approval late Friday to a new plan to turn the state into a safe haven for abortions for patients living in conservative states moving fast to restrict access to the procedure. Promised to be signed by Governor Ned Lamont (D), the bill was designed to protect patients and abortion providers against some of the most controversial elements of recent state-level abortion laws – including provisions allowing individuals to sue anyone who helps facilitate an abortion and measures that seek to prevent residents from having abortions across state lines. “The legislators inside [antiabortion] “States have made it clear that their intention is not just to ban abortions within the borders of their state, but to ban them in states where it is explicitly permitted,” said State spokesman Matt Blumenthal (D), one of the bill’s sponsors. . The inspiration for the bill, according to Blumenthal, was a Texas law passed last fall based on the threat of civil lawsuits to ban abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. The new measure adds Connecticut to a list of Democrat-led states that have sought to boost abortion protection in recent months ahead of a Supreme Court ruling expected this summer that could be overturned or significantly weakened. Roe vs. Wadethe landmark case guaranteeing the right to abortion at national level since 1973. However, while some other states have largely focused on laws codifying the right to abortion within their borders, legal experts say the Connecticut plan stands out for its efforts to shield against new efforts in the anti-abortion movement to stop abortion patients from crossing state lines to seek care in places with less restrictive laws. Greer Donley, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Law School who has studied abortion law, said Democratic states that seek to protect abortion rights — but focus only inward — pass laws that may not be able to withstand the challenges of aRoe world where anti-abortion states seek to legislate beyond their borders. These laws “are not necessarily going to provide the protection that many people believe [they] will, “said Donley, whose inquiry informed some of the provisions of the Connecticut law. California has proposed bills that offer some of the same protections as Connecticut law, many of which are moving fast in the legislature. But no other bill includes all the protections in one package, said David Cohen, a law professor at Drexel University who worked with Donley to research anti-abortion legislation. Donley said she expects Connecticut law to become a model for other Democrat-led states that want to protect access to abortion. “It will definitely have ripple effects,” Donley said. “Once enacted, people will notice.” In the plan to create an abortion shelter for a post-Roe era If Roe overseas abortion restrictions are likely to become “the next frontier” for the anti-abortion movement, Cohen said. In some states, Cohen added, the strategy is already emerging. A Missouri lawmaker proposed legislation earlier this year that would allow individuals to sue anyone who helps a Missouri resident gain access to an out-of-state abortion, using the legal strategy behind Texas law. Texas law and other laws formulated under it could be used to target providers or donors who help a Texas patient access abortion in Connecticut, Blumenthal said. So far, 13 states have proposed bills similar to those in Texas. During a debate in the Connecticut Senate on Friday night, State Sen. Saud Anwar (D) described the national abortion landscape as a “crisis.” “We will be a refuge for many people,” Anouar said. Missouri lawmaker tries to prevent residents from having abortions outside the state The Connecticut bill will offer broad protection against abortion laws trying to reach other states. It would allow anyone in Connecticut who is being sued under Texas Abortion Act to sue for damages, attorneys’ fees and other costs associated with the lawsuit. The measure will also protect people from out-of-state or out-of-state calls in abortion-related cases that are legal in Connecticut. And it would prevent the Connecticut authorities from complying with another state’s request to investigate or punish anyone involved in facilitating a legal abortion in Connecticut. In addition to protecting Connecticut providers and patients from legal liability, the new measure will also extend access to the entire state by allowing registered nurses, midwives and certified medical assistants to have abortions. Some Republicans in the legislature opposed the provision. “We can all agree that we want abortions to be legal, safe and rare,” said Connecticut State spokeswoman Kimberly Fiorello (R). “And I believe that this bill is going in the opposite direction.” The bill garnered some bipartisan support in both the state House and the Senate. In the debate Friday, State Sen. Heather Somers (R) said that The account is required to protect Connecticut clinicians. “I think it’s somewhat outrageous that another state thinks it can come to our state and sue our clinicians performing a procedure that is legal and safe here in Connecticut,” Somers said.
