HARTFORD, Conn. — With a major U.S. Supreme Court ruling months away, Gov. Ned Lamont pledged Tuesday to sign a key abortion bill that would be the most consequential in Connecticut in the last 32 years.
After a two-hour debate, the state House of Representatives voted 87-60 for a bipartisan bill that would increase the number of medical professionals allowed to perform abortions and expand abortion-related protections regarding lawsuits. Overall, 14 Democrats voted against the measure, including three deputy House Speakers, while seven Republicans broke with the majority of their party and voted in favor at about 9:20 p.m. Tuesday.
Rep. Matthew Blumenthal, the son of the U.S. senator, said the legislature was making the move due to concerns about the upcoming ruling by the Supreme Court and abortion restrictions in other states on an emotional issue on the legal right to abortion access that has been upheld nationwide by the courts for decades.
