In Midst of Uncertain National Abortion Landscape, AG Tong and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation Launch New Connecticut Abortion Legal Hotline
New resource for patients and providers offers free and confidential legal advice about rights to obtain or provide abortion
HARTFORD (November 8, 2024) – After Donald Trump’s victory in Tuesday’s 2024 Presidential Election, posing uncertainty for the national abortion access landscape, Connecticut Attorney General William Tong, the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, and representatives from top law firms across Connecticut today announced the launch of the Connecticut Abortion Legal Hotline. The Hotline, operated and managed by the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, connects Connecticut-based health care providers and helpers, as well as patients obtaining abortion care in Connecticut, with free and confidential legal advice and resources about their rights to access and provide lawful abortions. In 2024, Connecticut saw a 150% increase in patients traveling in from out-of-state seeking abortion care, according to Planned Parenthood Southern New England.
Abortion providers in Connecticut and patients seeking care in the Nutmeg State can access legal advice by calling the Abortion Legal Hotline at (833) 309-6301 or by visiting the website at reproequitynow.org/hotline to use a secure form. A member of the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation team will respond to inquiries on the Hotline within two to three business days, and connect callers with pro bono legal support. Attorneys from Rowthorn Law LLC, Franklin and Frankel Law, Koskoff Koskoff & Bieder PC, Silver Golub & Teitell LLP, and more are prepared to offer legal advice to patients and providers. Translation services are available for hotline callers.
“Abortion is safe, legal and accessible in Connecticut today, and we’re doing everything we can to keep it that way,” said Connecticut Attorney General William Tong. “But we know, especially after Tuesday, that there is a lot of fear and confusion right now. The Connecticut Abortion Legal Hotline can provide free and confidential information and legal advice to patients, providers, and helpers, including patients traveling here from abortion ban states. I want to thank the attorneys from across Connecticut who have committed pro bono support to this hotline to ensure that patients and providers have access to accurate information and advice in exercising their fundamental reproductive rights.”
“In a post-Dobbs world, and with an uncertain national abortion access landscape ahead, the Abortion Legal Hotline is not just a hotline—it is a lifeline for patients navigating a multitude of hurdles to access abortion care. The Connecticut Abortion Legal Hotline is a critical resource to put accurate, up-to-date reproductive health care information in the hands of patients and providers,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, President of Reproductive Equity Now. “With the election of Donald Trump, we face existential threats to reproductive health care and bodily autonomy nationwide. While Connecticut has been a national leader in protecting abortion in state law, we know patients and providers need legal advice about their rights to provide or obtain abortion, particularly for patients traveling to Connecticut for care. No patient should be denied care or scared to seek medical care because of the chaos and confusion that the anti-abortion movement has sowed. This Hotline will save lives and ensure that patients seeking abortion care, and abortion providers, have clarity regarding their rights.”
The Hotline can answer legal questions like:
I’m an abortion provider offering care to patients from out of state. How can I make sure I’m fully protected from hostile, out-of-state litigation or harassment?
I’m a patient traveling to Connecticut for care. What are my legal rights to obtain an abortion?
I’m a parent of a child in a banned state who needs abortion care. How can I help them access that care?
I’ve had a negative experience with an anti-abortion center. What actions can I take?
And more.
“Just over a year after Repro Equity Now expanded into Connecticut, we are proud to bring this critical resource to patients and providers in the Nutmeg State—especially at this juncture for abortion access nationwide,” said Liz Gustafson, Connecticut State Director of Reproductive Equity Now. “At this moment of crisis, Connecticut must remain the firewall for abortion access, continue to serve patients from across the nation who are forced to travel for abortion, and ensure that people know their rights to access the care they want and need. The Connecticut Abortion Legal Hotline will fill a critical gap in the work to increase access to abortion in the state by ensuring that anyone who is seeking abortion care, providing abortion care, or helping someone access abortion care in Connecticut has the information and support they need from legal professionals.”
Connecticut codified the right to abortion care until “viability” in state law in 1990. In 2022, just before the release of the Dobbs decision, Connecticut passed the nation’s first shield law, the Reproductive Freedom Defense Act, protecting patients and providers from out-of-state litigation or extradition. The Reproductive Freedom Defense Act also empowered clinical practitioners such as nurse midwives, physician assistants, and advanced practice registered nurses to perform medication abortions.
This resource builds upon Reproductive Equity Now’s Abortion Legal Hotline in Massachusetts, and is part of the organization’s effort to ensure that patients and providers across New England have the legal support they need in a post-Roe world.
Statements of Support from Legal Partners:
“I’m grateful to Attorney General Tong, his team, and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation for their commitment to the protection of reproductive rights and for making this important legal resource available to the public,” said Perry Rowthorn, Rowthorn Law founder and former Connecticut Chief Deputy Attorney General.
"In the uncertain legal environment created in the wake of the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision, women across this country will be dependent on abortion sanctuary states for access to critical abortion and reproductive health care services that they can no longer obtain in their home states. After this election, it is more important than ever that patients, medical providers, and the public know the law and their legal rights to access and to provide care that is legally protected in Connecticut. We salute the General Assembly for enacting Connecticut’s pioneering Shield Law. We thank Attorney General Tong and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation for establishing the Connecticut Abortion Legal Hotline, and we are proud to support this initiative to provide legal services to the people who need them," said Jonathan M. Levine, Esq., Partner at Silver Golub & Teitell LLP.
“Since our founding, Koskoff attorneys have stood up for the rights and liberties of all people, especially the most vulnerable. Our partnership in this effort is part of Koskoff’s longstanding commitment to advocate for safety in women’s healthcare. We are proud to join Attorney General Tong and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation to support this critical legal resource,” said Christopher Mattei, Koskoff, Koskoff & Bieder Partner.
Based in New England, Reproductive Equity Now works to make equitable access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care a reality for all people. Advancing reproductive justice and eliminating barriers to safe, legal abortion care are central to the organization’s mission. Reproductive Equity Now expanded into Connecticut in 2023, following the sunset of Pro-Choice Connecticut.
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