An op-ed co-authored by Connecticut State Director Liz Gustafson.

“On March 10 we recognized Abortion Provider Appreciation Day, a day to celebrate the bravery, compassion, and resilience of those who provide abortion care. While recognition is important, it is not enough. If we truly value these essential health care providers, we must fight to protect them.”

“The overturning of Roe has incited a public health, economic, social and racial justice crisis across the country,” said Liz Gustafson, the state director of Reproductive Equity Now.

“Access to contraceptives gives people the ability to control their own reproductive destinies and make personal decisions regarding if, when, or how to start their families,” Liz Gustafson, Connecticut state director of Reproductive Equity Now, said. “By eliminating the need for a visit to a healthcare provider to obtain a prescription for birth control and allowing people to receive the prescription directly from their local pharmacy, pharmacist prescribing will help increase access to contraception for those who face the greatest barriers to care.

“We’re just two days out from Trump and his reality-tv appointed cabinet,” Gustafson said, urging the state to create a “firewall” of opposition. “And their plans can be summed up by ‘regression.’ We need every single person in this fight.”

"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."

“Right now, patients need our support. Providers need our guidance,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now Foundation, one of the groups that has partnered with Connecticut on the hotline.

“After Tuesday’s presidential election, we know there is a lot of confusion, fear, terror, and grief,” said Becca Hart Holder, Reproductive Equity Now.

When Roe versus Wade was overturned, women from states with restrictions and bans started coming to Connecticut.

This year, Connecticut saw a 150 percent increase in out-of-state patients. These laws protect abortion care and protect records of patients seeking an abortion.

“This free and confidential resource will be able to help connect providers and patients seeking and offering care,” Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, said.

Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, said Friday that more attorneys are needed from all practice areas.

"We have needed help on healthcare law, on tax law, on real estate and asset protection. People who specialize in telehealth have been incredibly important," Hart Holder said. "Employment law is another one. The range of questions that we get is huge."