Access to reproductive care has always been a concern for Caroline Dowd, but it’s taken on fresh importance since she became pregnant this year. Dowd, a Coventry resident, said she feels at ease in Connecticut, which is considered a “safe haven” state for its abortion protections, but she’s wary of traveling to places where the same rights aren’t offered. Aside from a trip to Tennessee to visit her parents, Dowd doesn’t plan to travel to states with restrictions during her pregnancy in case something happens that puts the health of her or her unborn child at risk. “Life in general is chaotic and unpredictable, and while I understand the likelihood of things going wrong is fairly low, I still worry about something like a car accident or slipping and falling,” Dowd, 35, said. “If something unpredictable did happen, I don’t want my life or the life of my future child to be at risk because I’m in a state where you have to actually be dying [to get care] versus being willing to take care of me before then.” In the wake of Roe v. Wade’s defeat over two years ago, access to reproductive care, including abortion, contraception and fertility treatment, has been front and center in the discourse surrounding the upcoming presidential election. Dowd said because of her fears about what could happen to reproductive access under a second Trump administration, she plans to vote for Democrats in state and national races.  “I do worry that if Donald Trump and JD Vance got into office, they would attempt a nationwide abortion ban,” said Dowd. “I will be voting a straight blue ticket.”  During a debate in September, former President Donald Trump would not answer when asked whether he would veto a national abortion ban, though he subsequently vowed to turn away any such legislation. Vice President Kamala Harris has said she would work with Congress to pass a law to codify the federal protections that existed under Roe v. Wade.  While issues like the economy and immigration consistently rank among the most important for voters overall, reproductive rights are a key focus for a subset of people. An October KFF survey of women voters found that abortion has become the most important issue for women under 30, surpassing inflation, which was the top issue for that demographic earlier this summer. During the September presidential debate, “abortion” was the most searched political issue in all but one state, according to a snapshot released by Google Trends.  According to a poll conducted for The Connecticut Mirror, nearly half of voters — and nearly three quarters of Democrats — identified abortion and reproductive rights as an issue that was important to them in the upcoming election. Many Connecticut voters who see expansion of reproductive access as a crucial issue going into the November election feel, like Dowd, that while rights in the state are secure, they want to vote for candidates that will continue to defend those rights, both here and nationally. Anti-abortion advocates are also looking ahead to the election with hopes that supporters of the policies they support will win spots in federal and state government. How are Connecticut voters thinking about reproductive rights? Voters who support the expansion of reproductive rights applaud the measures that the legislature has taken to secure access to care in-state.  “The Democratic Party in Connecticut did a really great job of protecting our reproductive rights,” said Aanya Mehta, 22, a reproductive justice advocate from Simsbury who is currently completing a master’s degree in public administration at the University of Connecticut. Legislation passed in 2022 made Connecticut a legal “safe harbor” for those who travel here from another state to receive an abortion and for the clinicians who perform them. It also expanded the type of providers who can perform first-trimester abortions to include nurse midwives, advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants. In 2023, lawmakers passed a bill protecting medical providers in Connecticut who face disciplinary action in other states for performing abortions. “It’s things like that that give me hope in our state — that they’re thinking about people everywhere,” said Iyanna Liles, a Hamden-based gynecologist, regarding Connecticut’s legal protections for providers regardless of the patient’s home state.  Despite the state’s abortion protections and broad access to contraception, officials with Planned Parenthood Votes! Connecticut said many believe the stakes are high at the federal and state levels this election. Many protestors at Connecticut’s 2024 March for Life cited religion as a primary factor for attending the pro-life rally. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror Students from various Catholic schools, including Saint Theresa School in Trumbull and Regina Pacis Academy in Norwalk, led the March for Life in Hartford on March 20, 2024. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror “When I’m talking to supporters across our state, they are scared of what could happen not only on the national level, but also in Connecticut,” said Gretchen Raffa, vice president of public policy, advocacy and organizing with Planned Parenthood Votes! Connecticut. “Voters across our state and country are fired up and know what’s at stake.” Liles said that, since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, she’s had patients come in concerned about what would happen if they left the state or if a national abortion ban ever passed. People are making sure they have reliable contraception and, in some cases, electing to undergo permanent sterilization at younger ages. “Abortion is the linchpin of how we got here, but I think contraception is on the line. IVF access is on the line. Maternal mortality and morbidity is on the line,” she said. “All of women’s health is on the line.” Mehta agrees that reproductive justice is one of the most important issues for her heading into November, but she still feels as if the topic of voting is complicated, particularly because of concerns she has regarding foreign policy.  “Specifically, our tax dollars and what they’re being used for abroad,” said Mehta, adding that other activists she knows are wrestling with the same concern ahead of November. Anti-abortion advocates acknowledge that it’s unlikely Connecticut will overturn decisions regarding abortion access, but they hope the upcoming election will bring wins for candidates that will fight against what they called “extreme” proposals from Democrats, including bills that would legalize aid-in-dying and measures affecting Catholic hospitals.  “Maintaining religious freedom and religious precedent are our top goals,” said Chris Healy, executive director of the Connecticut Catholic Conference. “Obviously, the issue of abortion rights in Connecticut is sadly settled for now, but we’re concerned about extreme positions [that go] past that.” Over 1,500 protestors attended the March for Life rally and march in Hartford on March 20, 2024. Credit: Shahrzad Rasekh / CT Mirror Peter Wolfgang, president of Family Institute of Connecticut Action, which advocates against abortion, said Democrats and advocates for reproductive rights are being dishonest about the stakes in the election. “Abortion is, unfortunately — as far as I’m concerned — very secure in the state of Connecticut,” he said. “The ability to have a legal abortion in Connecticut is not ending anytime soon, if ever. So what the folks on the other side are doing is pushing the panic button to juice up their base.” But Liles said it’s critical to continue fighting, even if reproductive rights seem secure, because there is a consistent effort to curb those rights in the state. For example, in recent years, Republicans in Connecticut have introduced bills that would require minors to notify their parents when seeking an abortion. The measures did not advance. “There is an underlying current and we are able to keep it at bay,” said Liles. “We’re trying to be vigilant. We’re trying to not be quiet, like we did with Roe.”