FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, July 19, 2023

SENATOR FLEXER HAILS NEW CONNECTICUT STATE LAWS TO PROTECT WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM

HARTFORD – State Senator Mae Flexer today welcomed the signing of several new, bipartisan bills into laws that will strengthen women’s reproductive rights in Connecticut, ensuring that they retain the power to make their own medical decisions amid national concerns over reproductive rights.

These Connecticut laws were passed this past legislative session in response to the conservative U.S. Supreme Court’s recent overturning of Roe v. Wade, which for half a century guaranteed a woman’s right to an abortion in America.

“I have the great privilege of representing the students at the University of Connecticut in Storrs. And last summer, these students were terrified. But they didn’t just sit there in their fear – they instead said, ‘What can we do to make this better? What can we do to make sure that we have better access to healthcare here at UConn?’ And they reached out to Representative Haddad and me,” Sen. Flexer told a large crowd at the bill signings press conference. “This is a shining example of how you can take your concern for something in a moment when so many things in our country are under attack, and actually make change happen. I am so thankful to these students for the leadership that they demonstrated.”

The four bills signed into law today will:

• Protect medical providers in Connecticut who provide health care for out-of-state residents from adverse actions (i.e. arrest) taken by some other state where abortion has essentially been outlawed.
• Allow pharmacists to prescribe birth control without patients first needing to visit their doctor. The law permits pharmacists to prescribe a hormonal contraceptive and emergency contraceptive only if they have completed an accredited educational training program.
• Increase access to reproductive care by college students by requiring public higher education institutions (i.e. UConn, the state universities) with on-campus residences to develop a plan by January 1, 2024, that addresses students’ need for reproductive health care, including contraception, abortion, and gender-affirming care.
• Protect the privacy of patient health data online, ensuring that individuals who are seeking health care information and services online can trust that their personal data and information is secure and cannot be collected and used against them.

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