As the Supreme Court is poised to overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that established abortion rights in the United States, lawmakers in Connecticut have taken the proactive step of strengthening state laws that protect a women's right to choose. 

One of the significant provisions in the new law includes protections for people residing in states with restrictive and punitive anti-abortion laws who seek abortion services in Connecticut.

For instance, a law was recently passed in Oklahoma that established a near-total ban on abortions, including fines of up to $100,000 and up to ten years of imprisonment for medical providers who perform an abortion. Several states already have draconian anti-abortion trigger laws on the books that would allow for the prosecution of people who receive abortions that will go in effect the moment the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.

While I'm relieved that I live in a state that upholds a woman's right to choose, I'm profoundly disappointed and in disbelief over the number of Democratic lawmakers of color who voted against this critical legislation that protects a woman's most fundamental right. Led by Democratic anti-abortion State Rep. Trenee McGee of West Haven, several members of the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus decided to place their personal beliefs on the issue of abortion ahead of the will of their constituents by voting against making Connecticut a safe haven for reproductive rights. 

During the debate, I wondered if State Rep. McGee and lawmakers in opposition to the legalization understood what they were voting against or if they took the time to read the bill. From allegations that people of color view abortions as a means of birth control, to criticisms against Planned Parenthood, instead of focusing their attention on the merits of the bill, the arguments in objection to the abortion bill by State Rep. McGee and her allies in the Black and Puerto Rican Caucus were not germane to the proposed legislation. 

Let's be crystal clear: a vote against the bill was a vote against protecting women of color from outside of Connecticut, who are already enduring limited access to quality health care, from facing prosecution for an abortion procedure in the state.   

State Rep. McGee and her like-minded Democratic lawmakers' votes against providing reproductive rights protections should alarm their constituents who overwhelmingly support abortion and likewise alarm reproductive rights and progressive groups who have previously endorsed these lawmakers. There should be no room in any form of government for lawmakers who place their views and biases over the will of the people they have sworn to serve.