Fact Sheet: H.B. 5414

On Sept. 1, 2021, S.B. 8 went into effect in Texas. This six-week abortion ban was the most radical and extreme abortion restriction in the country — encouraging private citizens to act as “bounty hunters” and sue anyone trying to get an abortion, or helping someone access abortion, in violation of the law.

Now, more than a dozen states are following the Texas playbook to introduce increasingly restrictive and terrifying abortion bans. A similar six-week ban is set to go into effect this month in Idaho — and it won’t be the last.

H.B. 5414, an Act Concerning Protections for Persons Receiving and Providing Reproductive Health Care Services in the State will help shield Connecticut abortion providers and anyone traveling to our state to access safe, legal abortion care from lawsuits and harassment.

 

The State of Connecticut must protect our health care providers and patients who receive care within our borders from the egregious overreach of politicians in states across the country.

• We need to fight back against other states’ laws targeting patients and Connecticut abortion providers. This bill will help protect providers and safeguard health care for patients who need it
• Politicians passing extreme abortion bans are trying to eliminate access to abortion for all — they’re looking to nullify federal law and impose their radical anti-abortion views on other states. We won’t stand for it.

 

Abortion is safe and legal in Connecticut — passing H.B. 5414 is one way we can show up for patients who might be forced to travel to our state to seek care.

• Abortion is a protected here in Connecticut — and is still legal across the country. Patients deserve a shield against enforcement from other states when they seek legal health care in our state
• Patients deserve privacy, and no one should have their medical history used against them in a lawsuit or legal enforcement
• Anyone seeking abortion deserves support from their network and their community. We must protect doctors and clinicians who provide abortion access and those who assist patients in getting the care they need

 

It’s the job of health care providers to care for their patients – they’re not lawyers. They know and follow Connecticut laws and regulations and must be protected from other states’ extreme and radical anti-abortion legislation.

• Providers should be able to deliver abortion care to patients without the fear of repercussions from other states’ laws or targeted attacks from politicians across the country
• This bill works to make sure our state’s laws protect people in Connecticut so that doctors and clinicians can continue to provide legal abortion care in our state

 

This session, the Connecticut General Assembly must act now to protect our health care providers and anyone who seeks safe, legal abortion care in our state.