Press Releases
05/21/2018
Gov. Malloy and Lt. Gov. Wyman Slam Trump-Pence Administration for Enacting Further Restrictions on Women’s Health Care
(HARTFORD, CT) – Governor Dannel P. Malloy and Lt. Governor Nancy Wyman are criticizing the Trump-Pence administration on the announcement made tonight that they will use their executive authority to reinstate Reagan-era policies that will bar all doctors, nurses, and healthcare clinicians in the United States from making certain referrals for lawful medical procedures in an effort to control women’s access to healthcare services.
Governor Malloy said, “Make no mistake, this action is a brutal assault on women’s right to healthcare. It is, in effect, medical censorship, prohibiting doctors and nurses from disclosing to their female patients all of their legal, medical family planning options. This threatens to reverse the clock on the advancements we’ve made in women’s health by limiting access to cancer screening and contraceptive care. As a result of this misguided policy, more women may die of pregnancy-related deaths and the number of unsafe abortions will increase. This is why I proposed legislation earlier this year that would supplant federal funding to Planned Parenthood – a healthcare provider directly targeted by this policy – with state funding should the Trump administration follow through on its threat to attack women’s healthcare. We must continue to stand with women and not allow the federal government to censor their doctors’ lawful medical advice.”
Lt. Governor Wyman said, “This is an attack on women’s health and nothing short of an assault on medical professionals and their ability to provide the best care for their patients. Government should not threaten healthcare workers for telling the truth, and it is completely unreasonable to ask doctors to withhold medical information from their patients – information they need to make an informed decision and consent to treatment. Returning women to the healthcare landscape of 1988 is just that, turning the clock back on 30 years of progress.”
Earlier this year, Governor Malloy proposed legislation (House Bill 5039) to protect women’s access to health services. Among other things, it would have permitted the state to supplement funding to Planned Parenthood in the event that the federal government eliminate funding used by the organization for critical healthcare services, as President Trump and Vice President Pence have threatened.
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