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Just-passed bill countering heartbeat laws will make Conn a ‘place of refuge’ for abortions, lawmaker says

May 1, 2022 | | Print Article

In a move to counter new laws in conservative states that ban abortions once a fetal heartbeat is detected, Democratic-controlled Connecticut state lawmakers passed a measure Friday that would allow out-of-state visitors to obtain abortions free of any consequences, opening the state to an influx of women from across the nation who are seeking to terminate their pregnancies.

The bill received bipartisan support in both houses of Connecticut’s legislature and was passed by the Senate in a vote of 25-9 on Friday night, according to The Washington Post.

State Sen. Saud Anwar (D) called the national debate on abortion a “crisis” during the Senate debate on the bill, and stated, “We will be a place of refuge for a lot of people.”

According to Rep. Matt Blumenthal (D), a co-sponsor of the bill, it was a law enacted last fall in Texas which allows private citizens to sue those who perform abortions past six weeks of pregnancy that inspired Connecticut’s new legislation.

“Legislators in [anti-abortion] states have made clear that their intent is not only to ban abortion within their own states’ borders but to ban it in states where it is expressly permitted,” Blumenthal said.

Under the new bill, “anyone in Connecticut sued under a Texas-style abortion law to countersue for damages, attorneys’ fees and other costs associated with the lawsuit,” WaPo reports.

The measure would act as a shield for those summoned from out of state or issued a subpoena over an abortion procedure that is legal in Connecticut. Furthermore, authorities in the state would be prohibited from complying with another state’s request “to investigate or punish anyone involved in facilitating a legal abortion in Connecticut.”

What’s more, abortion access in the state will be expanded, with the measure allowing advanced-practice registered nurses, nurse midwives, and certified physicians’ assistants to perform the life-ending procedure.

In a tweet Saturday about the bill, the Connecticut Senate Democratic Caucus stated, “REMINDER: Connecticut is the ONLY state preparing for the next phase of the Abortion Wars.”

But that claim isn’t entirely true.

Connecticut is far from the only Democratic-run state to push back against those 13  conservative states that have proposed heartbeat bills similar to that in Texas.

According to The Washington Examiner, “At least 11 similar measures have been enacted so far in seven states,” including California.

On Twitter, many are expressing their disgust with the new measure.

“Psychos,” wrote one user. “The only thing good about CT is their pizza.”

“Connecticut’s ‘No Child Left Alive’ bill,” tweeted another.

“Refuge for selfish women who want to murder their child,” replied another.

“‘Refuge,'” mused a fourth, “what an odd choice of words in an article about those killing babies.”

Melissa Fine
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