Vermont’s Republican governor, Phil Scott, is going against his party by protecting access to gender-affirming care and abortion instead of restricting or banning the procedures. Without much fanfare, this month Scott signed two bills into law that safeguard access to this care. House Bill 89 and Senate Bill 37 offer “the most comprehensive protections to date” for both gender-affirming care and abortion, according to GLBTQ Legal Advocates and Defenders, a legal nonprofit based in New England.