Connecticut legislators are considering House Bill 7135, currently under public testimony hearing in committee, which would “expand the state’s existing ‘shield law’ [that] provides statutory protections for providers of abortion and gender-affirming care,” according to CT Mirror.
Reports CT Mirror:
House Bill 7135 would add to the state’s current legal protections, safeguarding physicians who provide reproductive and gender-affirming services via telehealth to patients in other states.
Several physicians testified that the measure provides added security in the face of national trends that are increasingly restricting access to reproductive care.
Kristin Newton, a family physician based in Warren, said the bill would help to protect the “sacred” relationship she shares with her patients.
“The idea that I could be criminally prosecuted for providing evidence-based and individualized care to one of my patients in this sacred space is reprehensible,” Newton wrote in submitted testimony.
Several residents also applauded the protections Connecticut has already put in place, saying existing legislation has helped preserve access to reproductive and gender-affirming care.
“I’ve been a citizen of Connecticut my whole life and I’ve had access to trans health care that has helped me live happily as myself for the past half decade. Had this not been the case, I likely would not be here to speak today, a sentiment that is echoed throughout other testimonies,” Madison Iofino said during the hearing at the state Capitol.
Read the complete CT Mirror story here.
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