- Governor Ned Lamont releases brief video message inviting businesses in states with strict abortion laws to consider relocating to Connecticut
- Message takes direct aim at a restrictive new law in Texas, which the U.S. Supreme Court recently opted not to block
- The bulk of the message seeks to highlight benefits available to workers with families
Summary by Dirk Langeveld
Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to not block a restrictive abortion law in Texas, Governor Ned Lamont is inviting companies to relocate to Connecticut in a show of support for women’s rights.
“We don’t have oil and natural gas, but we have one of the most productive, best-trained, most innovative workforces in the world,” says Lamont. “And that starts with the fact that we have more women participating in our workforce than just about anywhere else.”
The video message, posted on Lamont’s social media channels, directly references the Texas law and contrasts it with Connecticut’s statutes, which he say codify a woman’s right to choose.
- The Texas law, upheld after a 5-4 Supreme Court decision, essentially bans abortion by forbidding the procedure after six weeks, when most terminations are performed; the law allows exemptions in certain medical emergencies, but does not make exceptions for rape or incest
- Similar measures have been advanced by other states in the past, but have been held up in the courts
- The bulk of Lamont’s message, which lasts just over one minute, cites benefits available to workers with families, including a large expansion of day care and child care in Connecticut, open schools with low COVID-19 infection rates, and a state paid family and medical leave program
