Connecticut Senate approves bill providing abortion protections

May 1—HARTFORD — The state Senate late Friday night followed the House of Representatives in passing a bill strengthening abortion rights and access in Connecticut.

House Bill 5414 passed 25-9 with two Senators absent or not voting. Democratic Gov. Ned Lamont has said he supports the bill and will sign it.

The bill, a combination of two earlier proposals, would protect out-of-state women from prosecution for getting an abortion in Connecticut and Connecticut medical providers from legal actions taken against them from another state. It also would expand abortion care in Connecticut by allowing advanced-practice clinicians — such as advanced-practice registered nurses, or APRNs, and nurse-midwives — to perform aspiration, or suction, abortion in addition to medication abortion.

Several Republicans joined Democrats in supporting the bill. Sens. Cathy Osten, D-Sprague; Norm Needleman, D-Essex; Heather Somers, R-Groton, and Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, all voted in favor of the bill.

"I don't see this bill as an abortion bill," Somers said in support of the legislation during debate Friday. "It ... protects our clinicians in the state of Connecticut who are performing a legal procedure here in the state from being sued by another state in which that procedure may not be legal. I do think it's somewhat outrageous that a state can come in and sue our physicians. I think this bill does its job in preventing that from happening."

Some Democrats opposed the measure.

Democratic Sens. Patricia Billie Miller of Stamford, Marilyn Moore of Bridgeport and Douglas McCrory of Hartford echoed the arguments of West Haven Democratic Rep. Treneé McGee during the House's debate on April 19, in saying that abortion means something different to Black people and white people. McGee had pointed out that Black women account for about 36% of abortions while only making up 14% of the child-bearing population.

The three Senators criticized what they said was the racist history of Planned Parenthood's founder Margaret Sanger, who believed in eugenics, and questioned the formation of the reproductive rights movement in its relation to Black people.

McCrory ultimately supported the bill, in part because he said he doesn't believe men should be involved in making decisions about women's bodies.

Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury, described her own experience of getting an abortion when she was 25 after being told a medication she was taking may cause birth defects. "There's absolutely no question that we have done things in the history of our country in the medical sciences that are abhorrent. And we can't forget that and it should be talked about," she said. "But I support this bill because I think this bill is important to provide access to women who make that choice like I did at age 25."

Sen. Paul Formica, R-East Lyme, said that while he appreciated the larger conversation about race and abortion, "That we need to talk about and deserve attention because it's the fabric of our communities," he thought those issues were outside the scope this bill. "I look at this bill, and I don't know how this bill addresses that conversation," he said. "This bill to me seems like it says, if someone comes from another state to have services performed here in our state that are legal here but not legal there," they would have liability protections.

The measure comes as the U.S. Supreme Court considering a case that could lead to the overturning of its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision. Legislators also repeatedly referenced a Texas law that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy and includes what critics say is a "bounty hunter" aspect, allowing Texas residents to sue health care workers and clinics for violating the law and people who transport a woman to get an abortion. Similar laws since have been passed in other states.

Sen. Saud Anwar, D-South Windsor, summed up the motivation for the bill for the majority of Democrats while touching on Roe v. Wade: "49 years ago this was settled, 49 years ago it was confirmed that women would have those rights. But ... those rights are under threat," Anwar said Friday. "We have to stand up, we cannot take anything for granted. We have to be proactive and make sure that we protect the rights."

s.spinella@theday.com