Connecticut
Opinion: What Connecticut is doing to protect the right to choose
Growing up as a female in the United States of America, I was always told that a woman could do anything a man could do. Now, as a young American woman, I see that this is not the case. I am fearful.
With all of the freedoms put in place by the constitution, I would expect to have the right to my own body, and not expect others to make decisions for me. Biological men have this luxury.
Thankfully, in Connecticut, this “luxury” is granted to women because abortion is legal in the state for up to 24 weeks. This is not the case for women in the thirteen states in which abortion is banned and in the 11 other states that have tight restrictions on the procedure.
With the forthcoming turnover of the presidency back to the Trump administration, protecting rights is more important than ever. According to the CBS News analysis of Donald Trump’s abortion stance, there have been shifts in his perspective of abortion and his views on the legal discretion that states hold with this procedure.
With this uncertainty on the federal level on abortion, it is important that Connecticut continues to uphold the laws that have been passed here to protect it.
The overturning of Roe. Vs. Wade in the Supreme Court was what opened my eyes to the importance of preserving women’s rights. In response to this national decision, pushed in part by the Trump administration, Connecticut passed laws to protect the rights of both medical providers and women accessing these resources. As a future healthcare worker, I admire Connecticut for the safeguards it has put in place to protect the medical providers and businesses that are committed to providing reproductive care.
Connecticut’s governor, Ned Lamont, said, “Politicians should not get between a person and their doctor. As long as I am governor, reproductive rights will be protected in Connecticut, and I will do everything in my power to block laws from being passed that restrict those rights.”
This powerful idea has been supported by the actions of the Connecticut legislature. In May of 2022, the Public Act 22-19 was signed into effect. This law provided legal protections to healthcare providers and women accessing abortions along with expanding the medical professions that are permitted to work in abortion-related care. Also under Public Act 22-19, Connecticut provides the right for women who live in states with abortion bans to access safe abortions in Connecticut.
In the wake of the new administration being elected, Connecticut must do more work to preserve the rights it has provided to its citizens. To guide this, it is important for sex education to be destigmatized and taught in school as a form of health and risk prevention. There should also be more not-for-profit reproductive health groups located across the state. For example, Planned Parenthood, a non-profit organization that provides low-cost sexual health and reproductive education resources. This organization provides abortions to individuals who need it along with birth control, cancer screening, and resources for health and wellness.
Many of the Planned Parenthood locations in Connecticut are located in densely populated cities which makes it difficult for those living in suburban and rural areas of Connecticut to access them. The education that this organization provides is important, especially to young women who do not know where to turn in terms of their reproductive health and safety. For this, I believe that the state of Connecticut should work to provide state-funded reproductive education to young individuals. By doing this, more young people can access important information in the form of government programming or school education.
I also believe that Planned Parenthood locations should be within a 30-mile radius of one another to ensure that each person in Connecticut can access the care and screening they need. Although I am fearful for the right to my body in the United States as a whole, I am hopeful that Connecticut will continue to protect the right to abortion and be a safe haven for those needing to access the procedure.
Deven Taggart is a sophomore at Sacred Heart University, majoring in Health Science with a concentration in Public Health.
Connecticut
Florida High School State Bronze Medalist Dajah German Verbals To Connecticut For Fall 2027
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Florida high school state bronze medalist Dajah German has announced her verbal commitment to swim and study at the University of Connecticut beginning in the fall of 2027. She publicized the news on SwimCloud, writing:
I am so excited to announce my verbal commitment to continue my academic and athletic career at the University of Connecticut! I’m incredibly grateful for everyone who has supported me throughout this journey, my family, coaches, teammates, and friends who have pushed me to be my best throughout the years. And a very special thank you to Coach Chris and Coach Nicole for believing in me and giving me this opportunity. I’m so excited for what’s ahead. GO HUSKIES!
A rising senior at Fort Lauderdale High School in Florida, German trains year-round with Swim Fort Lauderdale and primarily specializes in the sprint and middle-distance freestyle events.
German has improved each year of her high school career, most recently dropping from 23.78, 51.39, and 1:50.56 in the 50/100/200 free to 23.54, 51.35, and 1:49.69 during the 2025-26 short course season.
German’s top meet of the season was the Florida Senior Championships in March, where she recorded her current PBs in both the 50 and 200 free. She finished second in the 500 free (4:55.94) and 1650 free (17:02.78), third in both the 50 free and 200 free, and fifth in the 100 free (51.43). She set her current 100 free PB at a smaller holiday meet in December. In the 500 free, she clocked a season-best 4:55.21 at the Speedo Cup in January, with her lifetime best of 4:53.19 coming at the 2025 Florida Senior Championships.
German has qualified for the FHSAA (Florida High School Athletic Association) State Championships for the past three years, with her top performance coming at the 2025 iteration in November. She placed third in the 50 free (23.96), fifth in the 500 free (5:01.12), and helped Fort Lauderdale to fourth place in both the 200 free relay (24.64 leadoff) and 400 free relay (53.08 anchor).
Top SCY Times:
- 50 Freestyle: 23.54
- 100 Freestyle: 51.35
- 200 Freestyle: 1:49.69
- 500 Freestyle: 4:53.19
A Division I Mid-Major program, Connecticut competes in the Big East, with the women’s team placing second out of seven teams at this past season’s conference championships. German’s current lifetime bests would have placed third in the 200 free, fourth in the 500 free, eighth in the 50 free, and ninth in the 100 free, setting her up as an immediate contributor with two full seasons of training still ahead before her first conference meet.
German joins Anna Mumford, Lyla Devlin, Lena Brown, and Louisa Holda in committing to the Huskies’ class of 2031 so far.
If you have a commitment to report, please send an email with a photo (landscape, or horizontal, looks best) and a quote to [email protected].
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Here are the forecast details for northern Connecticut via the National Weather Service:
Today: Sunny, with a high near 80. Light west wind increasing to 6 to 11 mph in the morning.
Tonight: Partly cloudy, with a low around 56. Northwest wind around 6 mph becoming calm in the evening.
Monday: A chance of showers before 2pm, then a chance of showers and thunderstorms between 2pm and 4pm, then showers likely and possibly a thunderstorm after 4pm. Increasing clouds, with a high near 76. Calm wind becoming southeast around 6 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 60%. New rainfall amounts between a quarter and half of an inch possible.
Monday Night: Showers and possibly a thunderstorm. Some of the storms could produce heavy rainfall. Low around 59. Southeast wind around 8 mph becoming southwest after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 90%. New precipitation amounts between three quarters and one inch possible.
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