by Donald Eng
HARTFORD, CT — Access to reproductive care and sustainable for those who need it topped the list of legislative priorities for the Reproductive Rights Caucus in the 2026 legislative session.
State Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, said the four-year-old caucus — which now numbers about 60 members — formed because members were concerned that reproductive health care was coming under attack. On Wednesday, Gilchrest said that remained true.
“The federal government has cut significantly from reproductive funding, in particular to Planned Parenthood, who they continue to demonize when Planned Parenthood is the leading provider of family planning services in this country, and in the State of Connecticut,” Gilchrest said.
She also highlighted access to gender-affirming care as an extension of reproductive care.
“In the State of Connecticut, we are saying that gender-affirming care, reproductive care is health care, and everyone should have access to that care when they need it,” she said.
Other priorities, Gilchrest said, involved supporting other caucuses with their goals as they intersect with reproductive rights. For example, pushing for greater support for doulas, for child tax credit and for diaper access programs.
State Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, said actions at the federal level have had a real impact on people in Connecticut.
“So we will be pursuing an agenda this session to ensure that every person in Connecticut can access, affordably, legally, reliably, the full spectrum of reproductive health care that they need and deserve,” he said.
Part of that effort includes strengthening the shield law, which protects patients from other states and Connecticut doctors from prosecution if that patient comes to Connecticut for an abortion. Connecticut passed a shield law in 2022, and at least 16 other states have followed suit. The proposed expansion would cover telehealth, Blumenthal said.