‘Our phones are ringing off the hook’: Connecticut stepping up to provide abortion access to out-of-state patients

Connecticut organizations, health clinics and residents are seeking ways to help abortion “refugees” in the health care exodus that is expected following the Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn of Roe v. Wade.

In the post-Roe fallout, eight states have banned abortion, and 10 have bans or severe restrictions on abortion that will start soon. Additionally, the right to a legal abortion is under threat in as many as 12 more states, some speculate. In all, these 30 states account for 60% of the nation’s women of childbearing age.

On Friday, Connecticut’s “safe harbor” law goes into effect, providing protections for out-of-state abortion seekers and providers from lawsuits in their home states.

Elizabeth Barnes, president of The Women’s Centers, a group of independent abortion providers with five locations in four states, said that even before the Supreme Court decision, women seeking abortions were already traveling to their Hartford office. After the abolishment of Roe, she said, the out-of-state population undertaking the “epic refugee journey” for reproductive health care in Connecticut will only grow larger.

“Right after SB 8 passed in Texas, we saw back-to-back patients fly in to Connecticut from Texas for their abortions. So that is only increasing,” Barnes said. “Our procedure schedules are already booked for this week and our phone lines are ringing off the hook.”

Jessica Puk is the co-founder and board president of the nascent Reproductive Equity, Access and Choice Fund of Connecticut, the only abortion fund operating in Connecticut. REACH launched its first fundraising campaign on June 15, with a goal of raising $50,000 to provide monthly block grants to Connecticut abortion clinics to help cover the costs of abortion for in-state and out-of-state patients.

“Minutes after the ruling was released, the donations started pouring in. We raised about $8,000 that Friday. Right now we’re up to just over $13,000,” Puk said. “People want to volunteer with us; people want to join our board; people are asking what they can do to help patients in Connecticut and patients out-of-state. So we’re currently trying to manage the influx of all of these requests and emails and donations. It’s been very busy, but it’s definitely exciting to see how many people are ready to step up.”

Abortion-rights advocates also have taken to social media to offer up their homes to women seeking legal abortions in their state. Some use code words to describe abortions such as “going camping” to protect women from being targeted by lawsuits.

Although well-intentioned, Puk said, this approach is not a best practice due to safety concerns.

“I would not suggest that people just post on social media and say a stranger can stay at their house. That’s not the right way to go about it. We need to make sure that abortion patients are protected and safe,” Puk said.

In Connecticut, there are 15 abortion clinics, each providing medication abortions up to 11 weeks of pregnancy. Five locations also provide in-clinic abortion services.

The cost of a medication abortion through Connecticut’s Planned Parenthood ranges from $576 to $662. In-clinic abortion procedures start at $613 for earlier pregnancies and go as high as $996 for abortions performed 16 to 17 weeks of gestation.

With such high costs, Puk said, it is important to remember that abortion legality does not always equal access for people who cannot afford the cost.

“Access is still an issue, whether it’s legal on the books or not,” Puk said. “There’s a lot of different barriers to abortion access still in a state like Connecticut. Financial barriers are a major one and that’s the one that we are committed to addressing.”

Puk and Barnes said abortion-rights advocates can help by donating to local abortion funds and by voting.

“My number one thing would be, if you have the funds, donate funds. If you don’t, spread the word, talk about abortion, help destigmatize it, and keep the energy up because this is a marathon,” Puk said. “The government and politicians aren’t going to save us, we’re going to save ourselves.”

Barnes agreed that stigmatization around abortion is a major problem. She said that one in four American women have or will receive an abortion and added that a lack of sharing these experiences has led to a “climate of shame and fear around healthy decision-making about pregnancy.”

The end of legal abortion in many U.S. states will lead to a “crisis” as more women travel elsewhere for abortions or forego procedures entirely, Barnes said.

“This decision has made it much worse and will create a public health crisis that is unimaginable, I think, to the American public until we see it happen,” she said.

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