Democrats in the Connecticut state legislature received praise on Wednesday for passing what Slate legal correspondent Mark Joseph Stern called "the gold standard" bill to protect women from Republican attacks on abortion rights.
"At least 26 states will ban most or all abortions if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade this summer, as it appears poised to do. Many blue states have strengthened abortion rights in the run-up to Roe’s potential demise. But few are planning for red states’ campaign to punish abortion providers and patients in places where it remains legal," Stern reported Wednesday.
Stern praised an abortion sanctuary bill by Democratic state Rep. Matt Blumenthal, a Marine Corps veteran who served in Afghanistan and is the son of U.S. Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT).
"The measure, H.B. 5414, bars state courts from enforcing another state’s penalties against someone who performed or facilitated an abortion that’s legal in Connecticut. It allows people sued under vigilante abortion bans, like Texas’ S.B. 8, to countersue in Connecticut court, collecting both damages and attorneys’ fees if they prevail. And it broadly prohibits state authorities from complying with another state’s request to investigate, penalize, or extradite individuals for providing or facilitating reproductive health services," he explained.
As states around the country pass extreme laws seeking to penalize or ban abortion rights, I\u2019m proud that CT continues to be a leader on reproductive rights. Thanks to all my colleagues on the Reproductive Rights Caucus, especially my co-chair @JillianG_CT. Now, on to the Senate!— Matt Blumenthal (@Matt Blumenthal) 1650463475
Stern suggested other states with legislatures controlled by Democrats mimic the Connecticut legislation.
"In short, H.B. 5414 fights fire with fire. It is the gold standard for pro-choice legislation in the post-Roe era. If it becomes law—and it probably will—H.B. 5414 will be the blueprint for every other state legislature that wants to fortify its own abortion laws against the coming red-state attacks," he explained. "The ultimate aim of today’s anti-abortion movement is to outlaw abortion across the country. As a result, the next phase of the abortion wars will test the limits of red states’ ability to stretch their abortion bans into other jurisdictions in a bid to shutter, bankrupt, and imprison providers across the country. Connecticut’s new legislation stops them before they can get the chance. Given the stakes, more blue states will need to copy Connecticut’s playbook or risk opening their residents up to anti-abortion persecution after Roe falls."
The bill was also praised by the political arm of Planned Parenthood of Connecticut.
Thank you to Rep. @JillianG_CT and Rep. @Matt_Blumenthal for proposing this critical legislation, and to the leadership in the House and all our champions who voted yes tonight. Now, we need the Senate to act! #Act4Abortion pic.twitter.com/YJfaZPiCTz
— PlannedParenthoodVotes!CT (@ppvotesct) April 20, 2022
The bill passed 87-60 on a bipartisan vote.
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