CT Democratic Legislators Introduce Bills to Protect Women's Right to Choose

A group of state Democratic lawmakers are introducing bills to protect a woman's right to choose and other health issues, the legislators announced Monday.

The efforts are being led by state Sen. Mae Flexer, and state Representatives Christine Conley, Liz Linehan, Kelly Luxenberg, Cristin McCarthy Vahey, Robyn Porter and Caroline Simmons, who held a press conference in Hartford announcing the measures. Additionally, Senate Majority Leader Bob Duff of Norwalk is vowing to back the initiatives, reports the Hartford Courant.

According to Flexer, the "package of five proposed bills [is] designed to maintain the State of Connecticut as a pro-choice state, and to commit Connecticut to protecting a variety of women’s health rights." Some bills have been introduced recently by Republicans in the state that Democrats say could limit a woman's right to choose, writes WFSB-TV.

The Connecticut Right to Life group Monday said in a statement that it opposes the Democrats' measures, in part because physicians could end up being muzzled from discussing alternatives to abortion with patients.

"The [press] conference was light on substance, and Sen. Flexer and her colleagues failed to offer specifics on their legislation which will actually curb options for pregnant women, and in one case, dangerously curb free speech rights for pregnancy centers that offer abortion alternatives," wrote Connecticut Right to Life.

Click here to read the full story on Hartford Courant website, and click here to read it on the WFSB-TV website.