Colorado Proclamation on Reproductive Rights, Access, and Justice
WHEREAS, Colorado has a longstanding history as a safe haven for abortion access
WHEREAS, Colorado was the first state to decriminalize abortion in 1967, five years before the United States Supreme Court determined abortion access is a constitutional right under Roe v. Wade
WHEREAS, Colorado voters have four times rejected political attempts to ban abortion through the initiative process on the Colorado ballotÂ
WHEREAS, the people of Colorado believe reproductive freedom is an inalienable right that guarantees people control over their bodies, privacy regarding their most personal medical decisions, and the right to determine whether or not to continue a pregnancyÂ
WHEREAS, there remain restrictions and vulnerabilities to our reproductive rights in Colorado statute that must be removed in order to ensure that all Coloradans have access to abortion care
WHEREAS, politicians have no place in private medical decisions that belong between a pregnant person, their family, and their provider
WHEREAS, all abortion bans are political, and have nothing to do with science or health care
WHEREAS, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization is a direct attack on the right established by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade
WHEREAS, if Roe v. Wade is overturned, Colorado will become the closest abortion care option for up to 1.2 million people.
WHEREAS, while Roe v. Wade is a basic right, it has always been the floor, not the ceiling, and ‘legal’ has never meant equally ‘accessible’
WHEREAS, reproductive justice requires every individual have the right to make their own decisions about having children regardless of their circumstances and without interference or discrimination
THEREFORE, WE, THE UNDERSIGNED, support the Colorado Proclamation of Reproductive Rights, Access, and Justice, and pledge to:
- Uphold the rights of all Coloradans to access legal abortion care
- Reject any attempts to restrict, reverse, or undermine access to abortion care
- Refute the lies spread by anti-abortion rights legislators and extremists that harm and stigmatize abortion care
- Demand access to the full spectrum of reproductive care, including abortion care, for all people, particularly Black, Indigenous, Latino/a/x, immigrants, the LGBTQIA community, people with disabilities, and under-resourced communities
- Protect and support the safety, rights, and work of abortion clinics and providers
- Move Colorado beyond the bans and safeguard the right to abortion in our state
Signed
Senator Julie Gonzales
Senator Faith Winter
Representative Meg Froelich
Representative Shannon Bird