CT Insider | Connecticut launches free abortion legal hotline in response to Trump election
By Cris Villalonga-Vivoni | Originally Published by CT Insider
To maximize access to abortion care across Connecticut, Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, in collaboration with state Attorney General William Tong, launched a free, confidential hotline for patients, providers and helpers looking for legal advice when trying to obtain or offer abortions in the state. Callers receive free and confidential help and connections to resources regarding reproductive care, including for patients looking to come to Connecticut for an abortion.
Connecticut Abortion Legal Hotline comes in direct response to the incoming presidential administration and the uncertain future of reproductive health care on a national landscape.
"Patients need our support. Providers need our guidance. This movement demands bold, innovative, tenacious, state-based leadership and that's why we are so proud to be fighting back against the chaos and confusion that anti-abortion politicians have sowed with a new resource to support patients, providers and helpers," said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, in a press conference announcing the launch.
State legislators and officials have made many efforts in recent years to safeguard access to reproductive care and abortion medication. However, many reproductive rights advocates believe that a national abortion ban is possible, which could preempt state law.
At a recent press conference, Tong said he's seen how abortion restrictions and fear affect access to reproductive care. He was visiting a once busy women's health care clinic in Texas that offered a variety of services from mammography to abortions to OBGYN care. Now, the clinic is staffed by only one person and has no patients to serve.
Tong also said that the New York Attorney General reached out with her concerns about a recent legal challenge to block a federal rule that protects the medical records of women seeking abortions across state lines from criminal investigations led by Texas state officials.
"The Attorney General of Texas and the Attorney General Florida have enormous resources. I know what their intentions are based on their actions," Tong said. "So we should not think for a second that what's happening there can't happen here. It can and I'm afraid to say that it may very well happen here."
In addition to the national stressors, abortion restrictions can lead to strains on the health care system in Connecticut. Over the last two years, the state saw a 150 percent increase in patients traveling from out-of-state for abortion care since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, according to Planned Parenthood Southern New England.
Connecticut previously opened an abortion help hotline in 2022 in collaboration with the New York Attorney General to meet the need. However, Tong said spreading the word about the resources was difficult. He hopes that more people will feel comfortable reaching out for help if the hotline is government-supported rather than run.
The Reproductive Equity Now Foundation is the sister organization to Reproductive Equity Now, a New England-based organization working to eliminate barriers to care and fighting for reproductive rights. The foundation's focus is on research and public education about access.
The new state hotline is an expansion of the foundation's Massachusetts abortion legal hotline, which Hart Holder said has already helped connect more than 150 patients and providers with the support they need since its launch 18 months ago. Questions range from legal issues to access questions or directing them to the closest provider.
The hotline is available to residents 18 or older, with the staff promising not to notify parents, legal guardians or government officials. According to the website, names are not even needed to get resources.
"This hotline will be a lifeline in a second hostile Trump administration…the fight to defend abortion access is local. It is based here in our states and our communities, and information is power," Hart Holder said. "To put information in the hands of patients and providers is to fight back. People will always need abortions, and it is up to all of us to ensure that they can continue to get the care that they deserve. Connecticut has time and again stepped up and proven itself to be a place that will meet the moment and now is no different."
The Connecticut Abortion Legal Hotline can be reached by calling (833) 309-6301 or by visiting the website at reproequitynow.org/hotline to use a secure form.
