A Win for Abortion Patients and Providers in Connecticut: H. B. 5414 Passes! 

(Hartford, CT) — Today was a critical step forward to preserving and expanding access to abortion in Connecticut. The Connecticut Senate has passed H.B. 5414, “An Act Concerning Protections for Persons Receiving and Providing Reproductive Health Care Services in the State.” With a bipartisan vote of 25-9, the bill will be sent to Governor Lamont’s office for signing into law. On April 19, the House of Representatives passed H.B. 5414, with a vote of 87-60.  

Planned Parenthood Votes! Connecticut (PPV!CT) and partners in the Connecticut Coalition for Choice thank the bill’s proponents, Representatives Jillian Gilchrest and Matt Blumenthal, Senators Gary Winfield and Saud Anwar, members of the Public Health and Judiciary committees, and our champions in the Connecticut General Assembly for passing H.B. 5414.  

This is the most significant abortion legislation passed by the General Assembly since Connecticut codified the right to safe, legal abortion in state law in 1990. This bill will modernize the state’s abortion law and regulations in line with current medical standards of care, removing medically unnecessary restrictions to allow qualified advanced practice clinicians (APCs) to provide aspiration abortion for their patients. H.B. 5414 will also help shield Connecticut abortion providers and anyone forced to travel to our state to access safe, legal abortion care from lawsuits and targeted attacks by politicians in other states with extreme, radical abortion bans. 

Planned Parenthood Votes! Connecticut looks forward to Governor Lamont signing the bill into law as Connecticut continues to be a leader in expanding and protecting access to abortion care as reproductive freedom is under attack across the country. 

Gretchen Raffa, Vice-President of Public Policy, Organizing, and Advocacy for PPV!CT states: 

“With tonight’s historic vote, the Senate once again honored our state’s legacy as a leader in the fight for reproductive freedom. The Connecticut General Assembly passed H.B. 5414, the most significant abortion legislation our state has seen in a generation, and a critical win for patients who need abortion access now. 

“We are at a crisis point for abortion access in our country as the future of Roe v. Wade is hanging in the balance. As states across the country are enacting increasingly extreme and radical bans on abortion, Connecticut once again leads the country by passing legislation with bipartisan support to protect our rights and expand abortion access — making it easier for patients to get the abortion care they need and deserve. 

"Thank you to our incredible champions in the House and Senate who recognized the urgency of this moment and took action to protect reproductive health and rights. We look forward to the Governor signing H.B. 5414 into law." 

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