The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Stefanowski says he would not change state’s abortion law if elected governor
Connecticut Republican gubernatorial candidate Bob Stefanowski on Wednesday broke his silence on his stance on abortion, an issue that has received heightened attention following last week’s U.S. Supreme Court leak indicating Roe v. Wade likely will be overturned.
Stefanowski’s campaign issued a written statement indicating he would uphold the state’s abortion statute protecting a woman’s right to choose that was established in 1990. He had largely avoided commenting on the issue following the leak of the draft opinion from the high court and the passage of a new Connecticut law, which would provide a legal safe harbor for patients and providers.
“Under no circumstances will I as governor attempt to change the existing law,” Stefanowski said in the statement. “A woman’s right to choose has been, is, and will remain codified in Connecticut State Law, including Connecticut’s ban on late-term abortions — except in the case where the mother’s health is at risk.”
Stefanowski’s statement, however, does not directly
address his stance on Connecticut's recently passed abortion-rights bill, nor does it explicitly say whether he is pro-choice.
In the statement, Stefanowski indicated his support for requiring parental notification for minors under the age of 16 who are seeking an abortion, except in the case of rape or incest — a position he also voiced during his 2018 gubernatorial run.
“This requirement is already in place for most medical procedures performed on minors and abortion should be no exception,” he said in the statement.
Stefanowski said voters deserve to know where Gov. Ned Lamont stands on the issue of parental notification and on late-term abortions.
Connecticut's abortion law states that the decision to terminate a pregnancy before the fetus is viable is “solely that of the pregnant woman in consultation with her physician.” Abortion is prohibited after the fetus is viable “except to preserve the woman's life or health.” Most experts estimate fetal viability to be about 23 or 24 weeks.
In recent days, Democrats, including Lamont and Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, called on Stefanowski to make his position known on the bill strengthening abortion rights, which also expands the types of medical providers who can perform aspiration abortions, the most common type of in-clinic abortion.
Lamont's campaign issued a written statement Wednesday responding to Stefanowksi — not from the governor, but from Bysiewicz.
“Bob Stefanoswki is doing exactly what he does best — deceiving voters,” she said. “Following suit with Republicans in DC, Bob is only trying to deflect and distract voters from the fact that he is still refusing to say if he would veto any attempt to repeal Roe because he doesn't want them to know his intentions.”
With uncertainty around the nearly 50-year precedent set by Roe v. Wade, Lamont has made a point of reaffirming his support for abortion rights, visiting a Planned Parenthood clinic in Hartford last month, and convening a large news conference outside the state Capitol this week to mark the signing of the abortion rights bill.
Stefanowski's running mate, state Rep. Laura Devlin, R-Fairfield, was among seven Republicans who supported the bill.
“As your Governor, I will do everything in my power to ensure that as a state we support and care for women facing these difficult decisions, and when chosen, abortions are safe and legal,” he said.
Stefanowski's statement came on the same day that his campaign announced a fundraiser in Canton next month, which will feature Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts, chair of the Republican Governors Association and one of strongest anti-abortion voices in the U.S.
In a 2018 interview with the Journal Inquirer's editorial board, Stefanowski described himself as pro-choice, but was less clear when asked about the possibility of Roe being overturned.
“I do think it should be up to the family,” he reportedly said. “I'm prochoice at the end of the day . ... It's codified in Connecticut state law. What happens on a national level we really can't control.”