Top stories of 2022: Abortion, the year’s biggest court decision, impacts elections as Connecticut becomes safe haven

The most far-reaching court ruling of 2022 — the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to set aside nearly 50 years of precedent on the controversial issue of abortion — had a direct impact on elections in Connecticut and nationwide.

The overturning of the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling of 1973 fired up the Democratic base even more than some political pundits originally predicted as the issue was featured prominently in press conferences, debates and campaign commercials.

Abortion came up constantly in multiple races in Connecticut, including U.S. Rep. Jahana Hayes against Republican George Logan in the 5th Congressional district that stretches from Simsbury to the New York and Massachusetts borders.

Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to New Britain on behalf of Hayes and spoke about virtually nothing except abortion.

Toward the end of a roundtable discussion at Central Connecticut State University, Harris delivered a statement that drew some of the most applause of the day.

“One does not have to abandon their faith or their beliefs to agree that the government should not be making that decision for her,’’ Harris said on stage.

Earlier, Harris said, “We believe, and I certainly believe, that a woman should have the freedom to make decisions about her own body and that her government should not be making those decisions for her. We believe that if she chooses, she, of course, will and can consult with her physician, with her loved ones, with her faith leader.’’

Hayes told a small group of reporters after the event that she could have held a fundraiser with the vice president, but Hayes declined and instead asked Harris to talk about abortion.

“That was an intentional choice,’’ said Hayes, who won a narrow victory in Connecticut’s closest major election of 2022 by less than 1 percentage point.

Politicians, Hayes said, should not be involved in abortion at all, adding that the issue should be solely between a woman and her doctor.

“It’s none of anybody’s business,” Hayes said. “As someone who was pregnant at 17, I support women’s reproductive health. Full stop.”

Logan said for months that he supports women’s health rights, arguing that his views had been distorted in Democratic television commercials and campaign mailers.

“All they’ve done is lie about my record,’’ Logan told reporters. “They have refused to acknowledge my record of consistently supporting a woman’s right to choose. Instead, they use lies and scare tactics to distract from reality because they are desperate. ... I am not extreme in my point of view when it comes to parental notification or a woman’s right to choose.”

Law passed by legislature

Even before a draft of the ruling was leaked, the state legislature moved quickly in late April to pass additional protections in the most far-reaching abortion bill in Connecticut in the past 32 years.

The bipartisan bill increased the number of medical specialists who are allowed to perform abortion services — allowing advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants and nurse-midwives to provide medication and aspiration abortions in the first trimester.

Connecticut became the 15th state to allow a wider range of medical professionals, including New York, California, Massachusetts, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.

The measure also expanded abortion-related protections regarding lawsuits, allowing Connecticut to protect the medical records of women who travel here from states like Texas or Louisiana. The information would also be protected from subpoenas in other states.

In addition, if a Connecticut resident is sued under a Texas-style abortion law, the bill would give them the right for a countersuit in order to recover reimbursement, attorney’s fees and costs. A “clawback” provision would protect Connecticut residents from Senate Bill 8 in Texas that allows private citizens in Texas to sue a doctor performing an abortion in Connecticut. The bill changes the state’s extradition statute so that Connecticut residents could not be summoned by other states, legislators said.

Chris Healy, a spokesman for the Roman Catholic bishops in Connecticut, said that advocates will be ready to lobby on abortion when the legislature reconvenes in January. He was concerned about the attorney general’s decision to establish an abortion hotline and hire a special counsel to defend abortion rights.

“The Dobbs decision rightfully placed the matter of abortion with the state legislature, and this plan does little more than make Connecticut a destination site for the taking of human life,’' Healy said earlier this year. “We look forward to any debate next year to protect the unborn through understanding and love for life.”

Lamont vs. Stefanowski

The issue also came up frequently in Gov. Ned Lamont’s race as Democrats tried to keep Republican Bob Stefanowski on the defensive about abortion and label him as extreme. That prompted Stefanowski to tape a television commercial with his two daughters that was constantly on the Connecticut airwaves that attempted to blunt the notion that he was an extremist as one of his daughters said, “But you’re pro-choice.’’

In their first televised debate, the candidates clashed over the notion that Stefanowski had given confusing answers on the issue.

“You know why people are confused?’’ Stefanowski asked with Lamont standing only a few feet away. “Governor Lamont — and I hate to say it — he’s been lying for four months about my position. I can’t say it any clearer. I’m going to protect a woman’s right to choose. I don’t know what else I can say. Governor Lamont, you really should stop doing it. ... You shouldn’t be trying to scare the women of Connecticut that it’s going to change when I win.’’

“I think you’re scaring the women of Connecticut,’’ Lamont responded to Stefanowski. “Actions speak louder than words, Bob. ... You could have donated money to the pro-choice Senate candidate here in Connecticut. Instead, you maximized your donations to two candidates who pledged to outlaw a woman’s right to choose.’’

Lamont eventually won the race by 13 percentage points and will be sworn into office on Jan. 4 for his second term.

West Haven primary

While many political races touched on abortion in 2022, a Democratic primary in West Haven was almost entirely about abortion.

State Rep. Trenee McGee, an anti-abortion African American female Democrat, won in the battle for her political life against pro-abortion rights candidate Joseph Miller in the August primary. Miller said he forced the primary chiefly due to McGee’s stance against abortion.

McGee surprised many Democrats with her outspoken views against abortion, and her speech on the floor of the state House of Representatives during an abortion debate in April has been cited by colleagues as one of the most memorable speeches on any legislative topic in recent years.

McGee, who voted against the bill that was signed into law by Lamont, said that abortion has been “destructive to my community” in urban neighborhoods. She said she wanted to “speak the fearless truth” about too many abortions in minority communities.

Black women, she said, have never had problems with access to abortion, saying that clinics are “in walking distance of our middle schools and our homes.”

Despite the controversy, McGee said she believes her stance was not unusual.

“Many of my constituents are Black women, and they’re pro-life and they’re Democrats,’' McGee said before her victory. “That wasn’t an abnormality to me. I am not an anomaly. ... Even growing up, I’ve heard Black women who were pro-life and Democrats. ... I have not been attacked by anyone in my community, even if they did not agree.”

Christopher Keating can be reached at ckeating@courant.com