黑料吃瓜网 officials and health care advocates are sharing their concerns about more potential threats to abortion and reproductive health care, gathering in New Haven this week just hours after conservative Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance was named Donald Trump鈥檚 pick for vice president.
Vance, who signaled support for a national 15-week abortion ban when running for Senate, later softened that stance, but says the issue of abortion access should be left to the states.
In 黑料吃瓜网, abortion remains legal . But the practice has been restricted in over 20 states since Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court in its 2022 Dobbs decision.
On Tuesday, 黑料吃瓜网 Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, a Democrat, held a press conference at Planned Parenthood in New Haven and was joined by Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, state Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Manisha Juthani and others concerned about abortion care and reproductive freedom in the state, and country.
Concerns over a national ban
Part of the Republican party鈥檚 , its first since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the Dobbs decision, highlights that the legality of abortion should be left up to the states, a stance that .
DeLauro, a Democrat, said Tuesday that federal lawmakers must push to restore the right to abortion care across the country.
鈥淚 will be working as hard as it takes to make sure we get there and that we do not slide further backwards in history,鈥� DeLauro said. 鈥淲e need to double, triple our efforts.鈥�
But Jeff Santopietro, a 黑料吃瓜网 delegate in Milwaukee this week for the Republican National Convention, said 鈥渢he Democrats need to get off of it.鈥�
鈥淚 think that the president [Trump] has made his position fairly clear,鈥� Santopietro said, 鈥渉e's given back the rights to the states 鈥� keep the federal government out of it.鈥�
The World Health Organization defines safe abortion care services as essential health care, and said restricting access to abortions doesn鈥檛 lower the amount performed, but 鈥渄ramatically affects鈥� .
The weight of more federal court cases
The U.S. Supreme Court dismissed a recent case surrounding Idaho鈥檚 abortion ban on procedural grounds, essentially leaving open the possibility for the case to come back to federal court. threatened the legality of performing abortions when a patient鈥檚 life is at risk.
Dr. Nancy Stanwood, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood Southern New England, said the door being left open for abortion care restrictions even in the case of stabilizing a patient is chilling for providers.
鈥淚 know how painful it is for my colleagues in the states with abortion bans where their hands are tied when it comes to giving pregnant people the best care including emergency abortion care when needed,鈥� she said. 鈥淚 don't want to see our hands tied here in 黑料吃瓜网.鈥�
About 1% of people seeking abortion care at 黑料吃瓜网's Planned Parenthood are coming from states with abortion bans, Stanwood said 鈥� and that number has increased since the Dobbs decision in 2022.
鈥淚t may be only 1% of the total care that Planned Parenthood is doing here in 黑料吃瓜网, but that's 1% of people that could afford to do that,鈥� Commissioner Juthani said. 鈥淲hat about all the people that couldn't afford to make a choice like that? That is inequity at its heart.鈥�
Speakers also pointed to the U.S. Supreme Court鈥檚 June ruling to preserve access to the abortion medication mifepristone, sharing concerns about future attacks on abortion rights, including anti-abortion advocates bringing forward new plaintiffs.
Speaking on NBC鈥檚 鈥淢eet the Press鈥� earlier this month, Vance said he supports access to mifepristone, .
Efforts to expand 黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 reach
This year, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) started including telehealth for medication abortion in 黑料吃瓜网 and Rhode Island, which Stanwood said is especially important for people facing transportation or privacy barriers.
Gretchen Raffa, vice president of public policy, advocacy, and organizing at PPSNE, said there are ways abortion care could become even more accessible in 黑料吃瓜网, with an eye on the next legislative session.
One of those efforts includes pushing for state law to protect health providers if access to emergency abortion care is threatened once again.
鈥淪o if a patient presents with a pregnancy complication in a health care institution that may have a refusal policy on the books, we want to pass state policy that will protect that health care provider that wants to deliver the standard of care for the patients that are presenting in any hospital in 黑料吃瓜网,鈥� Raffa said in an interview following the event.
Raffa said the state could also improve its abortion care in other ways, such as providing higher reimbursement rates for providers, and expanding Medicaid coverage for all people in the state regardless of immigration status.
In the 2024 session, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds. It was the only significant abortion measure 黑料吃瓜网 lawmakers tackled during the session.
黑料吃瓜网鈥檚 Matt Dwyer contributed reporting.
