“In the state of Colorado, the serious decision to start or end a pregnancy with medical assistance will remain between a person, their doctor, and their faith,” the signing statement from Polis read. The law affirms that regardless of decisions made by Congress in the future to overturn Roe v. Wade, reproductive health care and the right to abortion will be made available in Colorado.
The bill was debated for 24 hours on the House floor before being passed, according to The Denver Post, and faced heavy opposition from Republican senators and representatives before ultimately being voted on a party-line of 20-15 last month.
“The bill does not make any changes to the current legal framework for parental notification that exists in state law,” the governor’s signing statement said. “This bill will also prevent any person from being forced to end or continue a pregnancy, and ensure that no one is forced to perform or have an abortion against their will or conscience. Such is already the case in Colorado today.”
According to the official legislation, “Colorado was the first state to decriminalize abortion care in an overwhelmingly bipartisan effort in 1967.”
Colorado now joins 15 other states as well as the District of Columbia in codifying abortion rights by signing the Reproductive Health Equity Act, according to the Guttmacher Institute.
Meanwhile, several of Colorado’s neighboring states have passed tighter laws banning abortion. The state of Idaho passed a law that was modeled from Texas’ abortion law, which bans abortions after about six weeks of pregnancy.
Missouri lawmakers have introduced a bill that would make it illegal to financially help a woman get an abortion and Arizona is looking to implement a law that makes abortions illegal if Congress overturns Roe v. Wade.
Arizona currently has a law that bans abortion at 15 weeks, but a new law could sentence someone to up to five years in prison for helping a woman obtain an abortion-inducing drug or performing or helping in a surgical abortion, the Associated Press reported.
The Oklahoma House recently voted to ban all abortions unless necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life. If signed into law, it would surpass Texas’ six-week abortion ban, effectively becoming the most restrictive abortion law in the U.S.
“It’s more important now than ever for all Colorado to make sure we are protecting women and people who choose to be pregnant or choose to not be pregnant across this great state,” said Colorado House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, according to the Post.
Newsweek has reached out to Governor Polis’ office for additional comment.
