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House passes measure clarifying minors’ access to contraceptive and pregnancy care, strips earlier abortion language
Summary
After floor amendments, the House passed HB 7213 as amended to codify minors’ access to contraceptive counseling and pregnancy‑related care and to prohibit sharing minors’ care records without consent; proposed parental‑notification amendments were debated and defeated.
The Connecticut House passed HB 7213 as amended, a bill that clarifies and codifies minors’ access to a defined set of reproductive‑health services while preserving mandatory‑reporting duties for providers.
Representative McCarthy Vahey (public‑health committee) summarized the amended measure: it covers contraceptive counseling and services, STI prevention and testing, prenatal care and care during labor and delivery, and it forbids sharing information about those services without the minor’s consent while preserving providers’ obligations to make any mandatory reports required by law. "This bill will prohibit the sharing of information regarding these services without a minor's consent," she said on the floor. The sponsor also noted the amended file removes earlier abortion‑specific language.
Several members proposed and debated parental‑notification or judicial‑bypass amendments. House Amendment Schedule B (LCO 7681) would have required post‑procedure notification to a designee chosen by the minor; members opposed and the House rejected that amendment. Representative Francesco offered House Amendment Schedule C to require parental (or guardian/sibling/other adult) notification at least 48 hours before an abortion and to create a judicial bypass process; the amendment failed on a roll call. Supporters of the bill argued it protects access to preventive care and appropriate prenatal services; opponents argued for more parental involvement and raised concerns about possible complications and parental awareness.
The clerk recorded the final vote: the bill as amended passed the House (transcript roll shows 117 ayes, 27 nays, with 7 not voting). The bill will proceed to the Senate or the next prescribed step.
