Pro-Life Bills Considered at Colorado State Capitol

On February 23, 2022, the Colorado House Health & Insurance Committee heard testimony on two important pieces of pro-life legislation. One measure would protect life in the womb beginning at the moment of conception. The other would require accurate and actionable abortion reporting statistics be delivered to the state to inform research and gain valuable insights to inform public policy on why women are seeking abortions.

Sadly, Colorado holds the distinction as the first state in the nation to decriminalize abortion in 1967. That’s six years before the United States Supreme Court legalized abortion in all 50 states under Roe v. Wade.

In fact, this April marks the 55th anniversary since Colorado decriminalized abortion.

Many people don’t realize it, but Colorado has permitted unrestricted abortion for decades. A woman may seek an abortion in Colorado for any reason and at any time in her pregnancy until the baby is born and it is perfectly lawful.  

In fact, today, Colorado has a reputation for being a late-term abortion state. Women from around the country travel to Colorado for their late-term abortions. To put it in context, even California’s abortion policy is more reasonable than Colorado’s and restricts late-term abortion at the point of viability (the time in which a baby can live outside the mother’s womb). 

When New York lifted restrictions on late-term abortions, people around the country were disturbed, and rightly so. It was troubling to see people cheering and celebrating the death of preborn babies. But that’s how it’s been in Colorado for decades. 

Representatives on the Colorado House Health & Insurance Committee heard testimony on several bills that could help restore a hope and future for preborn children in Colorado. 

The first bill, HB22-1075, would require doctors that perform abortions to report specific information to the state registrar of vital statistics to better understand why women are seeking abortions. 

This measure attempts to make abortion vital statistics submitted to the state more accurate and actionable.  

With this information, it will be easier to flag potential sex trafficking and abuse. 

It is also essential for the pro-life movement to understand how and where we can help meet women’s physical, mental, or emotional needs in unplanned pregnancies.

The second bill, HB22-1047, would prohibit terminating the life of a preborn child beginning at the moment of conception because that’s when human life begins.

This measure makes an exception to preserve the life of the mother but rightly requires that doctors should work to preserve the lives of both the mother and baby.

Human life begins in the womb. That’s simple science.

Beyond that, we know that human life inside the womb is just as valuable as human life outside the womb. 

Indeed, the worth of a preborn child is not dependent on cultural norms or whether a baby is wanted or unwanted.

A preborn child’s dignity is found in its humanity. 

Human beings are made in the image of God. 

Genesis 1:27 states, “so God created humanity in His own image.” 

By virtue of being human, God has uniquely set us apart as moral, spiritual, and intellectual beings. And that begins in the womb.

Our value is not determined by age, location, ability, or dependency. 

All human life deserves to be protected from the womb to the tomb. 

If you are a Colorado resident, please contact the members of the House Health & Insurance Committee and urge their support for these measures.

As Alveda Celeste King, niece of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., shared with Focus on the Family at the National March for Life this January, “Every human being has a voice. We can all speak up for life.”

Yes, and amen! Go and make your voice heard today!

 

Photo from Shutterstock.