CT Insider | Connecticut's free abortion legal hotline offers clarity amid national uncertainty

By Cris Villalonga-Vivona | Originally Published by CT Insider

Finding clear answers about reproductive health and abortion feels increasingly hard to find in a constantly changing political and social world. 

​While abortion access remains safe and legal in Connecticut, online misinformation and a shifting national landscape have created a chaotic and confusing health care environment for both patients and providers, said Liz Gustafson, Connecticut director of Reproductive Equity Now, a New England-based abortion access nonprofit. 

​A free, confidential hotline that helps connect people with legal advice on abortion and reproductive health care has been one source of answers for patients and providers over the last year. Gustafson said more than 250 callers have reached out since the hotline launched, and advocates hope a new awareness campaign will encourage even more people to call.

​“The hotline gives people more than answers. It gives them confidence. It helps providers navigate complex and constantly shifting legal landscapes. It helps patients understand and exercise their rights, and it protects people from being misled, intimidated or exploited at a time when the stakes could not be higher,” Gustafson said at a press conference launching the new awareness campaign. “The hotline is central to our overall mission to expand access to reproductive health care across New England, because access isn't just about care being legal, but it is about people's ability to actually get the care they need when they need it.”

The abortion hotline is run by Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, in collaboration with state Attorney General William Tong and volunteer attorneys. Originally launched in 2023 in Massachusetts, the hotline services were expanded into Connecticut just four days after President Donald Trump was re-elected to office in 2024. 

Gustafson said the launch of the hotline was aimed at complementing the other major legislative efforts Connecticut lawmakers have led to protect abortion access in the state, like the provider shield law that aims to protect patients and providers from out-of-state probes. 

​“Passing and implementing laws is really critical and important,” she said. “But, with resources like the hotline that makes that more meaningful, so people can know what their rights are, whether they are state residents or traveling here for care.” 

With only days to go before a new state legislative session begins, Tong said Connecticut “stands ready” to protect reproductive health and ensure abortions remain “safe, legal and accessible” in Connecticut. 

He also encouraged residents with legal expertise and relevant backgrounds to step up and deploy their skills through the hotline to help “other people in this difficult, if not very desperate, moment.”

​“If anybody comes into Connecticut to try to take rights away from women and patients and doctors and nurses, they will have to come through us,” Tong said. “Because we will do everything we can to enforce Connecticut's laws.” 

So far, more than 250 attorneys have volunteered with the hotline pro bono, including Attorney Chris Mattei, a partner at Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder, who can offer support and clarity on legal questions. 

“Whenever civil liberties are under attack, it's important for lawyers to step up for their obligation and their duty to help people understand what their rights are,” he said at the press conference.

In addition to helping patients and providers, the legal hotline has been a good resource for nonprofits with questions, said Cassie Lehr, board member of Connecticut’s REACH Fund, which helps cover abortion care costs for patients traveling to and from the state. Organizations, like the REACH Fund, often lack sufficient resources to navigate misinformation and changing statutes while also defending against legal attacks. 

“The ability to be connected to a lawyer for free with any legal questions we have is truly incredible,” she said at the conference. “This allows REACH and other organizations like us to be able to focus on our work.” 

As part of a new awareness campaign, residents traveling in and around New Haven and Hartford may see billboards over the next month promoting the resource, along with digital ads across social media platforms.

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. Translation services for callers are available in multiple languages.