Connecticut looks to expand abortion access to ‘protect women’s rights’

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• Amna Nawaz:

  And now for a Democratic point of view, I'm joined by Connecticut's governor, Ned Lamont.

  Governor, welcome to the NewsHour. Thanks for your time.

  I want to begin by asking the same question I put to the attorney general about abortion access in your state; If Roe is overturned, what would be the impact? What — in the state of Connecticut, what would abortion access look like?

  Gov. Ned Lamont (D), Connecticut: Well, first of all, the Supreme Court leak took us by surprise. We thought this was settled law. That said, about five years ago, we did pass a statute that says a woman's right to choose would not abridged in the state of Connecticut, no matter what the feds do.

  As you know, that could be changed by another legislature going forward. Right now, I think a lot of folks are nervous and cannot believe the politicians are getting back into this.

• Amna Nawaz:

  So, you have pledged to sign into law a bill that basically expands abortion access by broadening not only the types of providers who can offer those, but protecting providers and patients who travel to your state for those services from other states where it has been outlawed.

  Are other states calling you because they want to do something similar?

• Ned Lamont:

  We're getting some inquiries. But, look, you listen to what is going on in Texas. It was going to be enforced by lawsuits like vigilante justice. A number of women maybe want to come to Connecticut to exercise their reproductive rights. I don't want Texas judges going after them. So, we're going to protect their folks providing service, protect our clinics and protect the women.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Governor, all of the states that surrounded you have also worked to codify that abortion access. So, have you seen other people from other states traveling to Connecticut for those services?

• Ned Lamont:

  Not so much. Yeah, we are just ready.

• Amna Nawaz:

  But you do anticipate that could happen?

• Ned Lamont:

  I do anticipate that, sure. I look at the neighboring states of Texas right now. I see a lot of women have to travel out of state to get their reproductive rights.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Well, let me put what your critics would say, which is that you are protecting people who are essentially breaking the law in other states. Would you do that for any other law? What would you say to them?

• Ned Lamont:

  I would say we're protecting people's rights here in the state of Connecticut. We're exercising, we're enacting the rights that we have right here. I don't have to sit around and forcing 24 other states, each of which has probably a very different reproductive log going forward. I don't know what they're going to do. I don't know what they will do on rape. I don't know what they're going to do on incest.

  I know what we're going to do in Connecticut, which is to protect women's rights.

• Amna Nawaz:

  What about this concern we heard from President Biden earlier today that — because Roe was decided on the basis of constitutional right to privacy, it undermines other cases that were similarly decided. Do you have that concern?

• Ned Lamont:

  I would not know that.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Let me just ask you then if these kind of steps were not taken by you and your state legislature there, we know other states are making similar moves, what do you worry what happen in the state of Connecticut and the surrounding region?

• Ned Lamont:

  We had a couple of thousand of anti-choice protesters outside the capital just a few weeks ago. So, there is a PAC here in the state of Connecticut that wants to outlaw women's rights to choose.

  So, we have to be very vigilant here, especially given the changing political climate starting in the Supreme Court. And I think the majority of the states take away a woman's right to choose, and we're not going to let that happen in Connecticut.

• Amna Nawaz:

  Governor, we have less than one minute left and I wonder if you can step back and kind of offer a big picture take here? Many people are worried if Roe is overturned, what we will end up with is a patchwork of abortion rights access depending on where you live.

  What role do you see Connecticut playing if that is the future of this country?

• Ned Lamont:

  I think state leader (ph) will come to reproductive rights and keep the politicians out, working with my neighboring states like we do to make sure as a region, you know, what your rights are going forward, and you hope to God the Supreme Court or even better, Congress can get it right and pass legislation that does not interfere with a woman's right to choose.

• Amna Nawaz:

  That is Governor Ned Lamont, Democrat from Connecticut joining us tonight. Governor, thank you so much.

• Ned Lamont:

  Thank you.