Connecticut officials on Thursday announced a $25,000 private donation to stand up the state’s “Safe Harbor Fund,” meant to assist patients coming to Connecticut for care from states where abortion access and gender-affirming care are restricted.
“The goal here is that we are going to do whatever we can to continue to be a state that prioritizes access to health care until we ultimately have a Congress and a federal government that steps up and ensures that right for everyone,” said state Treasurer Erick Russell, whose office administers the fund.
Russell said he hopes the gift from the Leonard-Litz Foundation is the first of more private donations to come. He said Connecticut is prepared to weather any attacks on the program by the Trump administration.
“We are committed to making sure that individuals have access to care that they deserve, and if what that means is that we become a target, then I think that that’s expected,” Russell said. “We’re not going to walk away from our values as a state because of an administration that has gone rogue.”
The treasurer said his office is in talks with counterparts in states like Maryland, Massachusetts, Vermont, Colorado and California to develop a network of safe harbor states for patients from states with restrictions or bans on certain forms of health care.
In response to a reporter’s question, Gov. Ned Lamont said he had not ruled out allocating state funding for the program in the future.
“We'll take a look at that,” Lamont said, indicating it would depend on program demand. “We'll see how many people take the opportunity to get the care they deserve.”
Applications for patient funding will go live on the treasurer’s office website on July 1.
