Pro-abortion Connecticut legislators are considering a bill that would protect abortionists who have broken abortion-related laws in other states. According to an email from the Family Institute of Connecticut, this “safe harbor” law would allow criminal abortionists to hide out in Connecticut, avoiding prosecution.
HB 5414, “An Act Concerning Protections for Persons Receiving and Providing Reproductive Health Care Services in the State,” was considered during a public hearing on Monday. It would allow abortionists who have broken abortion-related laws in their own state — as long as the action is legal in Connecticut — to avoid prosecution by fleeing to Connecticut where he or she could file lawsuits against entities in the former state and avoid summons or subpoenas from that former state, federal courts, or the state of Connecticut.
There is no stipulation in the bill that states the abortionist must establish residency in Connecticut. According to the Family Institute of Connecticut, the bill would also prevent “the Governor from complying with an extradition request from another state as long as the abortion activity they participated in is legal in [Connecticut].”
READ: Connecticut moves to include abortion as a right in state constitution
The bill could apply to almost any “abortion activity” because the only restriction on abortion in the state of Connecticut is that abortion not be committed at or after so-called “viability” unless the mother’s life or health is endangered. However, intentionally killing a preborn child is never truly medically necessary, and “viability” is subjective.
As a practical example of the impact this bill could have, Connecticut does not have a parental notification or consent law stating that the parents of a minor must be informed of her decision to have an abortion. Texas does. Therefore, under this proposed Connecticut bill, if a Texas abortionist were to commit an abortion on a minor without obtaining parental consent in violation of Texas law, the abortionist could simply move to Connecticut and avoid prosecution because Connecticut doesn’t have a parental notification/consent law. The abortionist could not even be extradited to Texas — and he could sue the state of Texas while residing in Connecticut.
Abortionists practicing in other states could violate pro-life laws that restrict abortion after a certain point in pregnancy or laws that prohibit discriminatory abortions due to a prenatal diagnosis — and there would be no accountability for these abortionists, as long as they move to Connecticut.
Katie Glenn, Government Affairs Counsel for Americans United for Life, told Live Action News in a statement:
Why is Connecticut establishing itself as a hideout for dangerous doctors? If Kermit Gosnell had fled to Connecticut, could he have avoided a life sentence? Connecticut judges should assess subpoenas on their merits, but the General Assembly would meddle in the judicial process to protect abortionists.
How would this bill impact medical malpractice or other lawsuits in Connecticut? We don’t know.
In their frantic effort to shield law-breaking abortion doctors from accountability, Connecticut will prevent women and families from obtaining justice if they are harmed while receiving any reproductive health care services. Connecticut women deserve better.
Walter Weber, Senior Counsel at the American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ), added:
Section 1(b) of the bill authorizes anyone who was successfully sued (“had a judgment enter against such person”) elsewhere (i.e., Texas. Idaho, or any other state that has a law allowing civil suits against abortion) for complicity with abortion to sue back and recover back triple the successful judgment, plus attorney fees and the cost of defending the original suit. For example, Kim sues abortionist Chet under the Texas law and recovers $1000. This bill lets Chet sue Kim back and get $3000, plus attorney fees for both the original case and the sue-back case, plus costs and expenses for both cases.
Presumably the point of this section is to penalize – and crush — anyone in any state who dares to sue abortionists and their facilitators.
If the proposed bill passes and becomes law, Connecticut would become the first state to be a safe haven for criminal abortionists.
Editor’s Note, 3/22/22: A statement from AUL and another from the ACLJ were added after publication.
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