At the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, passing a bill in Connecticut (CT) protecting children from female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) seemed promising. “An Act Prohibiting Female Genital Mutilation” (SB 1438) marked the first time a bill was raised in the past five years of advocacy by the Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C.
The Coalition held a legislative briefing in January 2025 and a press conference in February 2025 to build momentum and support for the Bill. These efforts proved successful, attracting media attention across the state. After a public hearing in March 2025, in which numerous advocates from the CT Coalition testified, the Joint Committee on Judiciary approved Senate Bill 1438 41:0, advancing it to the full Senate floor for a vote. In April, the Bill was amended and referred to the Office of Legislative Research and the Office of Fiscal Analysis. While the revised version did not contain provisions for education and civil remedies for survivors, it did establish strict criminalization of FGM/C.
Despite this progress, the Bill ultimately stalled. On June 4th, the last day of the CT legislative session, the Connecticut State Senate elected again not to call the Bill for a vote on the full Senate floor.
Several factors contributed to the Bill not being called. The state’s large number of overall bills proposed this legislative session likely played a role. There was a necessity for legislators to pass a budget before addressing the other bills fighting to get through, which unfortunately meant that the FGM/C bill was lower on the priority list.
Another potential challenge is confusion around the false conflation between the issue of FGM/C and gender-affirming care, which has arisen since President Trump signed an Executive Order in January to this effect. Advocates are working to clearly distinguish between the two issues: gender-affirming care is necessary and life-saving, while FGM/C is medically unnecessary, a human rights violation, and poses only negative health consequences rather than benefits
Still, important groundwork was laid during this 2025 legislative session, and advocacy efforts will continue between legislative sessions to keep the issue at the top of mind for legislators. Notably, this was the first bill to pass a committee, getting further than previous attempts on legislation.
The Connecticut Coalition to End FGM/C remains committed to passing a state law in Connecticut during the next legislative session – one that adopts a holistic approach by not only criminalizing FGM/C, but also providing for education and outreach as preventative measures.