"Questions like, 'I’m an abortion provider helping a patient traveling from out-of-state. How do I protect the patient?' And 'how do I protect myself? I'm a patient traveling for care. How do I know I’m safe?'” Rebecca Hart Holder of Reproductive Equity Now said.

Attorney General William Tong and the Reproductive Equity Now Foundation announced the creation of a new abortion legal hotline for providers and patients in CT.

"This free and confidential legal resource will be able to help connect providers and patients seeking or offering care with attorneys in Connecticut for pro bono legal assistance," said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now. "Patients and providers can call our hotline at 833 309- 6301, or they can fill out a secure form at our website, which is reproequitynow.org/hotline."

Advocacy groups like Reproductive Equity Now were also there to support students and to hear from them.

“We want to ensure that students can access all of the care and support they need so they can continue pursuing their educational and career goals,” said Liz Gustafson, the Connecticut state director of Reproductive Equity Now.

“Reproductive equity is on the ballot this election day and we are going to see people turn out in big numbers for candidates who run on abortion access,” Gustafson said.

Gustafson said abortion-rights advocates are emphasizing that even though Connecticut may be protected in state law, “there is more to do to ensure equitable access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care.”

“The battle for reproductive freedom and equity has not slowed down,” Gustafson said, adding that residents in the state feel and recognize the urgency of the moment.

On an interpersonal level, the abortion ban works to criminalize and further stigmatize the procedure and abortion medication more than it already is, said Liz Gustafson, the Connecticut state director of Reproductive Equity Now.  

When she had her abortion, her friend was concerned about her well-being when she couldn't reach Gustafson the following day and the police showed up for a wellness check, she said. Even now, Gustafson said she still feels the internalized shame and stigma of having an abortion.

By Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz and Liz Gustafson: Two years ago this month, our nation’s highest court decided in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health, overturning the federal right to abortion. Since then, we’ve watched continued, coordinated extremist attacks on reproductive freedom in courtrooms and legislatures, and on ballots across the country.

An estimated 171,000 patients in the U.S. traveled across state lines since the Dobbs decision to access abortion care “if they can afford to travel at all,” said Liz Gustafson, state director at Reproductive Equity Now.

She said federal funds are needed to meet the demand.

“While today we breathe a sigh of relief, the court has left the door open to future litigation. And we know and recognize that anti-abortion extremists are not stopping their attacks anytime soon as they attempt to restrict and ban abortion in all 50 states,” said Liz Gustafson, Connecticut state director for Reproductive Equity Now, an organization advocating for reproductive rights in New England.