Connecticut
CT weighs telehealth protections for abortion, gender-affirming care
A Connecticut legislative committee heard public testimony Monday on a bill that would expand the state’s existing “shield law,” which provides statutory protections for providers of abortion and gender-affirming care.
House Bill 7135 would add to the state’s current legal protections, safeguarding physicians who provide reproductive and gender-affirming services via telehealth to patients in other states. Several physicians testified that the measure provides added security in the face of national trends that are increasingly restricting access to reproductive care.
Kristin Newton, a family physician based in Warren, said the bill would help to protect the “sacred” relationship she shares with her patients.
“The idea that I could be criminally prosecuted for providing evidence-based and individualized care to one of my patients in this sacred space is reprehensible,” Newton wrote in submitted testimony.
Several residents also applauded the protections Connecticut has already put in place, saying existing legislation has helped preserve access to reproductive and gender-affirming care.
“I’ve been a citizen of Connecticut my whole life and I’ve had access to trans health care that has helped me live happily as myself for the past half decade. Had this not been the case, I likely would not be here to speak today, a sentiment that is echoed throughout other testimonies,” Madison Iofino said during the hearing at the state Capitol.
In 2022, Connecticut became the first state to pass a “shield law” to protect those who come from outside the state to receive abortion and gender-affirming services, as well as the clinicians who provide them. The move came in anticipation of the Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and, with it, the federal constitutional right to abortion.
The following year, Connecticut legislators expanded those protections, passing a law that blocks state agencies from revoking licenses of physicians for providing reproductive care, among other measures.
Recently, other states’ shield laws have faced real-world tests in the cases of a Texas lawsuit and a Louisiana indictment brought against a New York doctor, Margaret Carpenter, for abortion care provided via telehealth to residents of those states.
Rep. Matt Blumenthal, D-Stamford, who serves as the co-chair of the Connecticut legislature’s Reproductive Rights Caucus, said he and other members of the caucus have expected such moves from states where abortion is outlawed for years.
“It’s something that we had been predicting for a very long time,” Blumenthal said in an interview with the Connecticut Mirror. “We were very proud to pass the first shield law in the country, but we owe it to our doctors, nurses and residents to have the strongest one possible.”
Eight states, including Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New York, have shield laws that include protections for care provided via telemedicine.
Gender-affirming care for minors
Testimony before the Judiciary Committee Monday overwhelmingly supported the shield law expansion. Opposing testimony focused on gender-affirming care for minors, which the bill does not mention.
Rep. Craig Fishbein, R-Wallingford, expressed concern that the law would shield physicians who provide gender-affirming surgical care for minors, and he questioned proponents of the bill about how often adults who received gender-affirming care as minors regret their decision.
Research suggests gender-affirming surgeries for minors are rare — as are cases where individuals regret undergoing gender-affirming care after the fact. But both do occur.
Surgery is rarely used as treatment for transgender and gender-diverse children in the U.S., a 2024 Harvard study found. A study published in 2023 found that, out of a total 48,000 gender-affirming surgeries performed in the U.S. between 2016 and 2020, 7.7% were performed on children between the ages of 12 and 18. The vast majority of the procedures performed on children were breast and chest surgeries.
A review of 27 studies that pooled nearly 8,000 transgender patients who underwent gender-affirming surgeries found that roughly 1% regretted the procedure. But providers, as well as some advocates both in favor of and opposed to expansions of gender-affirming care, acknowledge that current research on the topic is limited.
Elle Palmer, who testified in opposition to the bill, said that at age 16 she sought gender-affirming care at Planned Parenthood in Montana and was put on testosterone. After several years she decided she wanted to detransition, but she said the organization wasn’t able to answer her questions about how to stop testosterone safely — such as whether to taper off, stop completely or begin taking estrogen, she said.
“Almost six years later, I still have a deep voice,” Palmer said. “I was only on testosterone for three years. This effect is permanent.”
Palmer eventually turned to Reddit where other individuals undergoing detransition discussed how they stopped testosterone treatments. She does not live in Connecticut, but during an interview with the CT Mirror, she said she was invited, through connections she had made on the social media platform X, to testify at the hearing. Those connections included the Family Institute of Connecticut, an organization that frequently testifies against expansions to reproductive care.
Palmer has also testified against expansions to gender-affirming care bills in South Dakota.
Nancy Stanwood, chief medical officer of Planned Parenthood of Southern New England, said the organization is committed to providing high-quality, compassionate care to all patients.
“We offer gender-affirming hormone therapy to patients aged 18 and older and support them every step of the way, including if they wish to pause, adjust or stop treatment,” Stanwood wrote in a statement responding to questions about the care provided to people who decide to detransition.
Blumenthal and Rep. Jillian Gilchrest, D-West Hartford, co-chairs of the Reproductive Rights Caucus, confirmed that gender-affirming care for minors isn’t a part of the proposed legislation. Blumenthal said he was unsure why opposition to the bill focused on the topic.
HARTFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Five Connecticut towns will collectively receive $10 million in grants for infrastructure upgrades, according to a Monday announcement by Gov. Ned Lamont.
The Connecticut Department of Housing (DOH) is awarding $10.7 million to Coventry, Guilford, Ledyard, Mansfield and Thomaston to modernize and rehabilitate housing for low- and moderate-income residents, the announcement said.
The funds are being released through the DOH’s Community Development Block Grant’s small cities program, with funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. To be eligible, a municipality must have fewer than 50,000 residents.
Cost Breakdown
Coventry: $2 million
Town of Coventry plans to use funds to upgrade, with a focus on making Orchard Hill Estates compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Guilford: $2 million
The Town of Guilford plans to use funds to design and build future affordable housing projects, consisting of up to 16 rental units and 8 homes.
Ledyard: $2 million
The Town of Canton requested funding for the first phase of affordable housing for people in Ledyard and the surrounding area. Habitat for Humanity of Eastern Connecticut is in the pre-development phase of the Colby Drive and plans to create 38 units.
Mansfield: $2.2 million
Funding will be used for upgrades to Wright’s Village, including roof replacements and sidewalk repairs.
Thomaston: $2.5 million
Funds will be used to make Green Manor ADA-compliant, including the installation of a new emergency call aid system.
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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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