Texas abortion ban blasted by Connecticut political leaders who see a ‘full scale attack’ on Roe v. Wade. Abortion opponents praise new law.

A new Texas law that outlaws abortions after six weeks represents “a full-scale attack” on Roe v. Wade, political leaders in Connecticut said Wednesday.

“My fear is that we will see an overturning of Roe v. Wade, which would then impact the rest of the country,” said state Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, referring to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling legalizing abortion.

“To me, it indicates where the Supreme Court is going,” said Gilchrest.

U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro, House Appropriations Committee chair, called it “a full-scale attack on patients, their health care providers, and their support systems.”

The Texas law, signed by Gov. Greg Abbott in May, went into effect Wednesday. The U.S. Supreme Court did not act on an emergency appeal to put it on hold. The new law prohibits abortions once a heartbeat can be detected in a fetus — usually around six weeks and before most women know they’re pregnant. It is considered the most far-reaching restriction on abortion rights in the country since Roe v. Wade legalized abortion nationally in 1973.

The law also authorizes private citizens, rather than officials, to enforce it by suing providers and anyone involved in facilitating abortions, such as a person who drives a woman to a clinic to get an abortion. Anyone who successfully sues another person would be entitled to at least $10,000.

“What’s going on in Texas? First you make it tougher for people to vote, and now you’re taking away a women’s right to choose? That’s been settled law for 50 years,” Gov. Ned Lamont said in a video statement. “We’re not going to let that happen in Connecticut. … As long as I’m here, it’s going to stay in statute.”

Christina Bennett, an anti-abortion activist and communications director for the Family Institute of Connecticut, said she was grateful to hear of the law going into effect, but she also was not surprised by it.

“Texas is a very pro-life state. They’ve been pushing for things like this for a while,” she said. “This is the time for the pro-lifers in Texas to really show how committed they are aiding women and families. … There’s many pro-life organizations across the state, and many of them have been providing support for women and families for decades. … This is the time for them to step into that gap and help women who might be feeling afraid or alone, or they don’t know what to do.”

However, Bennett said she felt the law’s practicality may be uncertain if people can access abortion pills through the mail or from others.

“I think we’ll see less illegal abortions in the sense of … back-alley abortions with hangers, and you’ll see more of people being sent pills through the mail,” she said. “I would imagine a number of doctors might still try to provide those, even if it was done secretly, or networks of people who are willing to do that. … I don’t know if we’ll see a surge of people going to other states.”

Pro-choice supporters shared concerns about the law leading to an increased need for underground abortions, particularly for women who cannot afford to go to another state to get a legal one.

“For people who have money, who can get on a plane and take several days off work, or drive long distances, it will be an issue but it won’t prevent them from getting the medical care that they need,” said state Sen. Mae Flexer, D-Killingly. “However, people with limited means … won’t be able to have full access to health care or to [making] decisions over their own bodies.”

Liz Gustafson, state director for NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, said 2021 has been “the most hostile legislative year” for abortion restrictions around the country since Roe v. Wade was decided, and the Supreme Court is expected to announce this month when justices will hear arguments on a case challenging Mississippi’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks.

“It’s a significant wake-up call to what abortion access looks like now across the country, and [what] it can look like in the future,” she said.

Connecticut has Roe v. Wade codified in its state laws, so a national overturning of the landmark case would not make abortion illegal in Connecticut, Gilchrest explained. But if more states pass laws essentially banning most abortions like Texas, Connecticut may become a destination for the procedure, she said.

Gilchrest, who previously worked as the executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Connecticut, said some clinics known for performing abortions, like Planned Parenthood, also offer access to birth control methods including the pill, IUDs, and the patch. If clinics close down, access to such methods may become more limited, Gilchrest said.

“We should be focused on prevention … and so ensuring that women have access to all available birth control options would be best — not only for women’s health and safety — but also for a strategy to reduce the need for abortion,” she said. “As we see clinics closing across the country, I think we’re going to see less access to birth control.”

This report includes information from The Associated Press.

Amanda Blanco can be reached at ablanco@courant.com.