Although the right to abortion has been enshrined in Connecticut law since 1990, U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy warned Wednesday night how women in the state could still be at risk if Republicans impose a national ban.
“I know that doesn’t seem possible in Connecticut. But if the Republican Party’s platform is signed into law, no one in Connecticut will be safe,” the two-term Democrat said during a televised debate.
Although he is favored to win re-election, Murphy reiterated a key talking point that Democratic congressional incumbents and challengers have used in much tighter races across the country to capitalizing on the national debate about abortion rights. That prompted Murphy’s Republican challenger, small business owner Matt Corey, to accuse Murphy of trying to scare voters.
“The state of Connecticut law is what it is,” he said, calling it “settled law” and that he abides by the state’s laws.
“So Senator Murphy wants to spread fear in this election because that’s what they do in Washington. They send fear through you,” Corey said, adding that Republican leaders have said any bill that would enact a national ban on abortion would be vetoed.
But Murphy insisted that Connecticut law would be jeopardized if a fetus were considered a person under federal law.
“If that is indeed the law, it means that any abortion in this country would be illegal, regardless of whether you live in Connecticut, a blue state, or Texas, a red state,” he said. “So I don’t think I’m spreading fear on this subject. I just think I’m representing what the actual platform of the Republican Party is.”
“I want to ensure that Connecticut families and Connecticut women can make their own health care decisions,” he said.
Corey, who challenged and lost to Murphy six years ago, subsequently questioned Murphy’s true support for women and criticized him for not opposing efforts to allow transgender athletes to participate in girls’ sports.
The Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference currently has a policy of allowing transgender girls to participate in girls’ high school sports.
“When are men in this country going to stand up for women’s rights? Why should women suffer?” Corey asked. “You see women all over the country trying to stand up for what they believe in. Why should we wipe away the achievements, the scholarships and the records?”
Murphy said he believes the issue of transgender student athletes should be left to individual communities and local school boards and not the federal government. He also warned of a “campaign of fear going on in this country” to make people believe they should be afraid of others of different sexual orientation.
“There is an epidemic of suicide and self-harm in this country among our gay and transgender students,” Murphy said. “And it often happens because they feel excluded by the communities in which they live.”