2025 Connecticut Legislative Session Agenda
The Nutmeg State continues to lead in the fight for meaningful and equitable reproductive health care.
Our priorities in Connecticut are aimed at standing up to federal attacks on reproductive health care, expanding access to care for patients, and further protecting abortion and gender-affirming care providers.
Connecticut Legislative Priorities
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Expanding Access to Abortion Care Throughout Pregnancy
At no point in pregnancy is the government more qualified to make decisions about reproductive health care than a doctor and their patient. As Donald Trump continues to threaten abortion access and interstate travel nationwide, Connecticut must update state law to eliminate arbitrary restrictions on abortion later in pregnancy and ensure no one must leave the state for abortion care. We must trust doctors and patients—not politicians—to make informed health care decisions.
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Bolstering Shield Protections for Abortion Providers
In the wake of the Dobbs decision, the Connecticut Legislature acted to pass the nation’s first shield law to protect providers and those seeking care in Connecticut. Now, the state has the opportunity to go further to protect its providers who may be willing to provide medication abortion via telemedicine to out-of-state patients and strengthen existing shield protections. Connecticut has an obligation to continue to expand access to safe and compassionate abortion care, and can do so by strengthening its shield law to offer a layer of protection for telehealth providers dedicated to providing abortion care regardless of a patient’s location.
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Protecting Patient Access to Care
As we continue to see threats to bodily autonomy at the federal level, Connecticut stands apart as a leader in protecting and expanding access to reproductive health care. However, refusal laws allow any provider or health care professional involved in patient care to refuse that care based on their religious or conscientious objection. To combat this barrier to care in the state, Connecticut can act to ensure health care institutions, such as religiously affiliated hospitals, do not prohibit providers from providing medically-accurate information regarding a patient’s health status, counseling, and referrals for care that may not align with an institution’s moral or religious beliefs.
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Affirming the Right to Emergency Pregnancy-Related Care Amidst Federal Attacks
With attacks on the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act (EMTALA) making their way through the courts, Connecticut residents need to know that they will be able to access emergency pregnancy-related care, including abortion care, when they experience life- or health-threatening pregnancy complications, regardless of their ability to pay at the time of treatment. Connecticut can pass legislation affirming the right of physicians to provide emergency pregnancy-related care, including abortion, to protect patients from shifting federal policy.
Connecticut Policies We Proudly Support:
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HUSKY 4 Immigrants
Reproductive Equity Now is proud to be a member of the HUSKY 4 Immigrants Coalition.
Connecticut has taken major steps to expand access to HUSKY eligibility for prenatal and postpartum care up to 12 months, and for children 0-15 regardless of immigration status.
Now, the state can build on its progress and expand Connecticut’s Medicaid coverage for all residents of the Nutmeg State, regardless of immigration status and age. Access to health care is a human right and no one should be denied life-saving care because of their immigration status.
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Expanded access to fertility care
Reproductive Equity Now is proud to support the ongoing efforts led by the FACT Campaign
The decision about if, when, or how to become a parent is one of the most important life decisions we make, and everyone should be able to make that choice without barriers – which includes equitable access to fertility care and assisted reproductive technologies
In addition to expanding insurance coverage of care, including medicaid coverage– Connecticut can take action to remove barriers to fertility care and assisted reproductive technologies for LGBTQ+ people and single individuals by updating the definition of ‘infertility’ in state statute.
Expanded coverage would align with Connecticut Solicitor General Sean Scalon’s recent change to expand fertility coverage for the Connecticut state employees plan.
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Increasing Medicaid reimbursement rates for family planning clinics
Increasing Medicaid Rates for Family Planning Clinics
Family Planning Clinic Medicaid rates for abortion services are unchanged since 2008, yet labor costs have continued to increase. Increasing family planning clinic Medicaid rates for abortion services will strengthen patients' long term access to essential, time sensitive health care– and ensure our state’s providers, including Hartford GYN Center and Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, can continue providing compassionate care. An investment in family planning clinics and abortion providers is an investment in the ecosystem of care.
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Additional Reproductive Equity Now Supported Policies
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Reproductive Equity Now is proud to support the Paid Sick Days Coalition led by She Leads Justice.
Current Connecticut state law requiring paid sick leave only applies to companies with at least 50 employees. Now, the state has an opportunity to expand its paid sick leave law to apply to all workers, and ensure that the policy’s definition of “family” reflects modern-day family structures. This will allow workers to use paid sick days to care for a spouse, child of any age, grandparent, grandchild, parent, sibling or any individual related to the employee by blood or affinity who is the equivalent of family.
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Reproductive Equity Now is proud to support the DOC Healthcare Coalition led by YWCA Hartford Region.
Every person should have access to high-quality health care and we have work to do to ensure better health outcomes for incarcerated individuals and returning citizens. That’s why Connecticut must take action to establish a regulating body and oversight process for the prison health care system. Connecticut is currently the only state in the country where the Department of Corrections operates and oversees its prison health care system.
*This list will continue to be updated