The House of Representatives approved a bill Thursday strengthening protections for medical providers who may face sanctions after providing abortions, gender dysphoria treatment, or other reproductive care for patients who arrive from states where such care has been made illegal.
The amended bill, which passed by a 128-19 vote, builds upon a law the General Assembly passed last year to protect doctors and other medical providers who provide this type of care to patients who arrive from states that ban them.
“What this seeks to do is protect those who follow the law and ensure they do not lose their license,” said Rep. Cristin McCarthy-Vahey, D-Fairfield, co-chairwoman of the legislature’s Public Health Committee.
If approved, the bill – HB 6820 – would block the departments of Public Health and Consumer Protection from taking “adverse actions” against any medical providers who recommend or offer “reproductive health care services.”
This includes suspending, revoking, or denying the renewal of a medical provider’s license or other credentials. Those agencies also are prohibited from considering sanctions imposed by other states when deciding upon disciplinary action, so long as those providers followed Connecticut law.
McCarthey-Vahey said there is no language in the bill that prevents the DPH or DCP from sanctioning any provider who engages in malpractice, even if they were providing reproductive health care services.
State law defines reproductive health care services to include gender reassignment surgery and other dysphoria treatments, contraception, and pregnancy termination.
House Speaker Matt Ritter, D-Hartford, said the bill comes in response to a growing number of states that have banned abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year.
Some of those states also made it illegal to go out of state for an abortion or to help someone do so.
Similarly, some states have banned gender-affirming care for minors. A handful of states have even allowed medical malpractice suits against medical care providers who perform those procedures.
“We didn’t go after them. They came after us,” Ritter said. “So we’ll respond in kind.”
A handful of Republicans objected to the bill.
“We’re talking about the mutilation of children that don’t even have — their parents probably don’t even know this is happening, and they’re minors,” said Rep. Gale Mastrofrancesco, R-Wolcott. “Do I think anybody should be protected from that? Me personally, I do not.”
But most supported the bill, saying this is about protecting doctors and other medical providers who follow the law in Connecticut.
“Whether you agree with what certain healthcare providers can perform — that’s separate,” said Rep. Nicole Klarides-Ditria, R-Seymour, the ranking Republican on the Public Health Committee. “What this bill does, it protects medical providers from adverse actions taken in other states for their role in the delivery of reproductive health services that are legal in Connecticut.”
The bill has drawn broad support, including from the Connecticut Hospital Association.
“We have the privilege of living in a state that is standing up for patient and provider rights relating to reproductive healthcare and gender-affirming care,” the association said in written testimony earlier during the legislative session.
The bill allows hospitals and other medical institutions to set their own hiring policies, including whether a professional can provide reproductive health care procedures.
The proposed law also prevents institutions from changing or adding terms after medical providers are hired and punishing them.
Democrats also have a handful of other bills aimed at expanding access to reproductive care, including allowing in-vitro fertilization to be covered by Husky, the state’s Medicaid program.
House Majority Leader Jason Rojas, D-East Hartford, said he expects the House “to take action on those bills separately.” He added the decision to vote Thursday only on protections against out-of-state laws should not be seen as a sign that other bills lack support.
