On June 24, the Supreme Court overturned Roe, allowing for abortion bans across the country to go into effect. Some of these bans prevent state residents from getting an abortion in other states, prohibit abortion even for medical reasons, or enact penalties on any person who “abets” an abortion.

In the face of egregious attacks on abortion rights, Democrats in state legislatures must proactively pass legislation that restricts Republican plans to extend their harmful bans into states where abortion rights are protected.

One excellent example and a potential model for other blue states is a bill passed in the Connecticut state House. HB 5414 ensures access to abortion in Connecticut and provides protections to anyone coming from out of state to Connecticut seeking an abortion. The bill will allow these individuals to countersue in Connecticut court to collect damages and attorney fees.

As Daily Kos Staff Writer Laura Clawson explains, “It’s brilliant, and every state in which Democrats have both the governor and the state legislature, or in which a Democratic state legislature can override a Republican governor’s veto, should make it law.”

Blue states must not only codify the right to abortion but enact legislation that assures equitable access to services for all. States that have already codified the right to abortion must take these protections a step further, ensuring the ability of clinicians to provide care and preserving the right to an abortion for those coming from out of state. Legislatures in blue states must prioritize: protecting rights through codification, eliminating existing barriers to in-state care, protecting patients and providers by insulating them from hostile anti-abortion state legislatures, and expanding equitable access to care by making needed investments to the abortion infrastructure, including expanding scope of practice, training clinicians, allocating money to support patient financial and logical navigation, and increasing security.

It’s time to go on the offensive to protect abortion rights, and this is how we start.

Sign the petition to state legislators: Blue states must codify the right to abortion

Participating Organizations
ACA Consumer Advocacy
Advocates for Youth
Daily Kos
Friends of the Earth Action
National Council of Jewish Women
Progress America
Progressive Reform Network
Takeitback.org
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