Connecticut residents rally after Supreme Court overrules abortion law, ‘this is just opening up the doors to so much’

Activists on both sides of the abortion debate came out to the state Capitol Friday after the U.S. Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade.

Both anti-abortion and abortion-rights advocates called the court decision, which says that women no longer have a constitutional right to an abortion, a ‘turning point’ for the country.

Nicki LaPort said that she cried in her gynecologist’s office after hearing the news. Suzan Sarris said she celebrated.

Rallies were held across Connecticut Friday, many drawing out residents angered by the ruling and vowing to protect a women’s right to choose here.

State lawmakers codified the right to an abortion into Connecticut’s statutes in 1990. Although abortion rights aren’t up for grabs in the state, anti-abortion advocates described the changes they would like to see Connecticut enact in the near future, including defining fetal viability and creating parental notification laws for minors seeking an abortion.

“We are pleased that parental notification is now an issue here in Connecticut. There are only a handful of states that do not require a minor girl to at least notify her parents before getting an abortion,” said Peter Wolfgang, the executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut. “Unfortunately, neither party is where we want them to be on the underlying issue of abortion, where the fight is, is on parental notification.”

Currently, Connecticut does not have a parental consent law, but requires minors seeking an abortion to receive counseling, that could include consulting with parents.

Wolfgang and state Reps. Brian Lanoue of the 45th district and Mike France of the 42nd district, said that that they are hopeful a parental notification would will receive bipartisan support. In May, Republican candidate for Connecticut governor Bob Stefanowski voiced support for the provision, except for cases of rape or incest.

Dr. Emily Fine, a gynecologist and a partner in a division of Women’s Health in Connecticut, speaking at an event in Hamden Friday, said “this is a devastating day for us. We saw this coming.”

“But now that this is a reality, and we’re looking at 26 states where abortion rights are denied, we really need to understand what this means for physicians and providers,” Fine said, noting “politicians and judges have absolutely no right in the exam room. They cannot be allowed to violate the sanctity of the trust that develops between us and our patients.”

“Everyone needs to know, abortion is health care. It’s not optional. Whether it’s terminating a pregnancy for rape or incest, or medical causes, or for psychosocial reasons or for intensely personal reasons,” Fine said. “Abortion is part of healthcare and part of good evidence based time proven reproductive health care. Banning any form of health care is bad.”

Andrew Rasmussen-Tuller, a current candidate for state representative in Bristol, said that parental notification laws would endanger minors.

“It’s important that we have an avenue for these children to seek abortion care. If they’re not comfortable talking to their parents and they’re in this predicament, what’s gonna happen, they’re going to go a not-safe route to get an abortion, and they’re going to end up very much in danger and harmed and it’s literally gonna be a death sentence for them. So we need to ensure that we’re keeping our kids safe by offering them these care avenues,” Rasmussen-Tuller said.

Rasmussen-Tuller and his husband Ken said that after hearing of the Supreme Court ruling, their thoughts went to their 4-year-old daughter.

“This is about women’s health. And it’s scary to think what she’s gonna go into and not have the opportunity for when she gets older, should she need that choice,” Ken Rasmussen-Tuller said. “I’m scared.”

LaPort said that she is worried about the future ramifications this decision will have beyond abortion access, echoing the concurring opinion written by Justice Clarence Thomas suggesting that the the Supreme Court should “reconsider” past precedents such as the the right to contraception and same-sex marriage.

“I think it’s just really frustrating to see the country that I grew up in and love so much, just go backwards,” LaPort said. “This is the beginning of going back 50 to a hundred years.”

France said that importance of the Supreme Courts decision is that the abortion decision goes back to “the people.”

“It reverts the process of legislating back to the people, the legislators [and] the senators that are elected to represent the people. The people now have a voice in this,” France said.

Wolfgang called June 24, the day of the Supreme Court decision, “liberation day for the unborn child.”

“Roe v. Wade was an outrage. It was an attack on human rights. Never before in the history of the United States had there been a case where an entire class of persons who used to have rights were told that they, no, they were no longer part of the human family. That is what we have fought against for 49 years. We want a world. We want a country. We want a state of Connecticut where every unborn child is protected in law and welcomed in life,” Wolfgang said.

The Rasmussen-Tullers and LaPort described the Supreme Court decision as the opposite.

“In our nation we’ve always expanded on rights, we’ve never taken away rights,” Andrew Rasmussen-Tuller said. “This is just opening up the doors to so much.”

Editor’s note: This story is updated to correct that Connecticut’s abortion rights are by statute.

Alison Cross can be reached at across@courant.com.