New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Anti-abortion movement gains momentum in Connecticut
HARTFORD — The anti-abortion movement in Connecticut has been reenergized by the likelihood that the national right to abortion will be significantly curtailed in the coming months, even as Democratic lawmakers here move to protect abortion providers and expand access to the procedure.
As lawmakers in the General Assembly are set to begin debate on whether to enshrine a person’s right to choose into the state’s constitution, about 2,000 antiabortion supporters descended upon the Capitol grounds Wednesday for the first March for Life rally, in conjunction with the Connecticut Catholic Conference, held in Connecticut. The event was scheduled to take place in 2020, but was rescheduled due to the pandemic.
“Today marks a new beginning for the pro-life movement in the state of Connecticut,” said Peter Wolfgang, executive director of the Family Institute of Connecticut.
“For years, we were told that abortion was not an issue in Connecticut, that there was no pro-life movement in Connecticut or no prolife movement of any
serious consequence.
Well, look at all of you,” Wolfgang said to the crowd sprawled across the north side of the Capitol.
Wolfgang and other speakers at Wednesday’s rally said they are turning their attention to proposals by Democratic lawmakers to expand who can perform certain kinds of surgical abortions and to prevent Connecticut courts from assisting in out-of-state investigations regarding abortions performed legally here.
“We must fight these bills,” said Christina Bennet, communications director for the Family Institute of Connecticut. “They are a danger to pregnant women and families in our state and they are merely a political response to what is happening across the nation.”
The national anti-abortion moment has intensified ahead of the Supreme Court’s decision setting up a state-by-state battle. Legal experts predict
the overturning of Roe v. Wade could lead to interstate conflicts over the issue with about half the states expected to ban abortion.
In Missouri, for example, a Republican proposal would allow private citizens to sue anyone who helps a Missouri resident have an abortion, including out-ofstate physicians. A bill introduced recently by Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, seeks to shield Connecticut residents against the potential of legal challenges from other states.
In Connecticut, Democrats’ most ambitious effort to harden abortion protections is to amend the state constitution to include “the right of personal reproductive autonomy and freedom.” The proposal will come before the legislative General Administration and Elections Committee Friday and likely face rigorous debate.