Connecticut Leaders Call for Urgent Action to Protect Telehealth Abortion Access Amid Ongoing Court Chaos
WATCH: As Supreme Court temporarily restores access to mifepristone, lawmakers and advocates vow to protect patients and providers
HARTFORD (May 5, 2025) – Today, Connecticut leaders, including Connecticut’s Governor Ned Lamont and Attorney General William Tong, lawmakers, and advocates called for urgent state action to protect telehealth abortion access following rapidly shifting federal court rulings in Louisiana et al. v. Food and Drug Administration. Watch the full press conference HERE.
Last Friday, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit moved to reinstate medically unnecessary in-person dispensing requirements for mifepristone, effectively blocking telehealth abortion care by prohibiting mailing and retail pharmacy dispensing. The U.S. Supreme Court has since issued a temporary pause on that decision—restoring access for now—but leaving patients and providers in a state of uncertainty.
Speakers emphasized that this legal back-and-forth has created confusion and instability nationwide, underscoring the urgent need for clear, durable protections at the state level.
“While we are relieved that telehealth access to mifepristone has been temporarily restored, this kind of legal whiplash is dangerous. Patients and providers should not have to navigate a system where access to essential health care is turned on and off overnight,” said Liz Gustafson, Connecticut State Director, Reproductive Equity Now. “This moment makes clear that we cannot rely on the courts to protect our health care—especially in the wake of Dobbs. Connecticut has a critical opportunity right now to act by passing S.B. 295 and strengthening our shield law to ensure providers are protected and patients can access care without fear or confusion.”
“Mifepristone is safe, legal and effective and we’re fighting on every possible front to keep it that way. These burdensome and arbitrary restrictions— abruptly imposed nationwide with zero medical justification—place politics above patient safety and inject needless chaos into our healthcare system. We’re urging the Supreme Court to protect the rights of women and patients to make decisions free from needless political control,” said Attorney General Tong.
Attorney General William Tong joined a coalition of 22 states and the District of Columbia on Monday in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to stay a ruling by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit that abruptly and arbitrarily restricted access to mifepristone nationwide, a safe and effective abortion medication.
Today’s press conference comes as Connecticut lawmakers consider S.B. 295, legislation that would strengthen the state’s shield law to protect providers offering reproductive and gender-affirming care via telehealth from out-of-state prosecution. With the legislative session set to end tomorrow, May 6, lawmakers have just hours to act.
“Connecticut has taken major steps forward this session in protecting reproductive rights, including expanding support for Planned Parenthood, and updating our fertility treatment coverage law. But the activist decision of the Fifth Circuit threatens abortion access across the country, including in Connecticut and threatens Connecticut’s health care providers with criminal prosecution,” said Sen. Matt Lesser, Deputy Majority Leader. “It is in direct conflict with our state’s telehealth laws. We need stronger laws to shield patients and providers from malicious prosecution and right wing judges and an extremist administration in Washington and I hope we can move in that direction very soon.”
“If someone doesn’t want to get an abortion, they don’t have to. But limiting access for all because of the beliefs of a few is wrong and dangerous,” said Rep Jillian Gilchrest, Co-Chair of the General Assembly’s Reproductive Rights Caucus. “I look forward to the day— and will push tirelessly— for when our federal govt recognizes that women’s health and safety should be a priority and not a political pawn."
"The Fifth Circuit's dangerous decision has no basis in science or law," said State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, Co-Chair of the General Assembly's Reproductive Rights Caucus."Exhaustive scientific evidence has established that Mifepristone is extremely safe and effective, with risks lower than common drugs like Tylenol and Penicillin. The Supreme Court should act swiftly to prevent these judges from interfering with the entire nation's access to vital and necessary healthcare."
Advocates stressed that while access has been temporarily restored, the broader threat remains—and that lasting protections must come through state and federal action, not the courts.
“The latest developments around medication abortion access by mail underscore just how quickly the legal and regulatory landscape is shifting and how much uncertainty patients and providers are being asked to navigate in real time. While telehealth remains a critical tool for expanding access, it must be paired with strong, proactive protections at the state level. Connecticut has long led on reproductive health, and passing S.B. 227 is a vital step to ensure patients can continue to access care safely and that providers can practice without fear or intimidation,” Dr. Lisa Perriera, Hartford GYN Center.
More than half of abortions are provided through telehealth care, which tees up this decision to have a devastating impact on the national access landscape.
Mifepristone has a well-documented record of safety and efficacy, and has been used more than 5 million times in the United States to end pregnancy since it was approved in 2000. Research shows that medication abortion using telehealth is just as safe as in-person abortion care.
Misoprostol can be used alone to safely and legally end pregnancy, though it typically involves a different side-effect profile.
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