Lamont administration launches hotline, website for abortion access

The Lamont administration launched a new hotline and website aimed at helping people find information on abortion services.

The move comes after some Connecticut residents experienced uncertainty over which services were still available to them following the Supreme Court decision in June to overturn Roe vs. Wade, Lamont said at a press conference on Friday.

“The doctors at Stamford Hospital said our phones are ringing off the hook,” Lamont said. “People want to know, ‘is abortion legal, is it outlawed, is contraception outlawed?’”

Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz said the hotline and website provide information on resources available to residents in Connecticut and those who travel to the state for an abortion.

“You’ll find information about transportation, you’ll find information about how to pay for an abortion and what insurance coverage you can expect,” said Bysiewicz. “You’ll find, most importantly, information about where to seek abortion services.”

Lamont said Connecticut is one of the first states to create a hotline of this kind.

Concurrently, the state is expanding accessibility to healthcare services and coverage for expectant mothers with low and moderate incomes.

Though state officials emphasized that legal advice pertaining to abortion cannot be provided, the website lists Connecticut laws aimed at protecting reproductive rights and also offers links to national resources.

In 1965, Connecticut took center stage in the fight over women’s reproductive rights when the Supreme Court ruled in Griswold v. Connecticut that a state government cannot outlaw contraceptives.

The hotline is 1-866-CTCHOICE and the website is portal.ct.gov/reproductiverights.