In Colorado
After Roe in Colorado, abortion is always legal. Keep reading to find out more about your state’s post-Roe abortion laws.
THE BIG QUESTION
After Roe, does my state ban nearly all abortions or allow nearly all abortions?
Colorado allows nearly all abortions. In 2022, it passed the Reproductive Health Equity Act, establishing an affirmative “right to choose,” and thus ensuring abortion access at every stage of pregnancy. H.B. 1279, 73rd Gen. Assemb. 2d Reg. Sess. (Colo. 2022)
WHAT’S NEXT
What is my state’s next step in the fight for life, now that Roe is overturned?
Now that Roe and Casey are overturned, the question of pre-viability abortion has returned to the states and Colorado’s new Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA), which was signed into law by Governor Polis May 4, 2022, and will ensure Colorado continues to be extreme on abortion. The Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA) (codified as Colo. Rev. Stat. Ann. §§ 25-6-401 to 407) ensures that Colorado will remain an abortion up-to-birth state, and it goes beyond Roe in stating that preborn children at all stages of development have no individual and derivative rights in Colorado. Pro-abortion activists are also planning to push a ballot initiative in 2024 to allow Colorado taxpayer funds to be used for abortion.
Pro-Life Colorado coalition and its membership groups will continue to fight RHEA, prepare for the 2024 ballot battle, and promote legislation that values the sanctity of life. See more here: www.prolifeco.org
MORE ABOUT YOUR STATE’S ABORTION LAWS
Below, we’ve summarized what abortion laws would are in your state after Roe.
Abortion Limits, Exceptions and Enforcement
Limitations on abortions
If my state won’t ban all abortions, what are the limits to abortion?
Colorado places no limits on abortion.
Exceptions to any limitations
Are there any exceptions to those limitations placed on abortion?
Not applicable because Colorado does not place any limitations on abortions.
Penalties for performing an illegal abortion
What are the penalties to abortion providers for committing an illegal abortion (one of the forms of abortion that my state has limited under the law)?
None
Enforcement
When abortion laws are violated, who can file a lawsuit to enforce their rights and the law?
Not applicable
Special standards of care
Does my state impose a special medical standard of care on abortion providers?
No
Protecting Fundamental Rights
Parents
Does my state give parents the right to consent for their child to get an abortion?
No: the Reproductive Health Equity Act removed any parental notification or consent requirements and prevents local governments from instituting common-sense life protections like these. 2022 Colo. ALS 67, 2022 Colo. Ch. 67, 2022 Colo. HB. 1279.
Medical professionals
Does my state have conscience protections for medical professionals who do not want to participate in abortions?
No
Babies Born Alive
Are there legal protections for babies born alive following a botched abortion in my state?
No
Safety & Health of Women
Physician-only requirement
Does an abortion have to be provided by a licensed physician in my state?
No
Informed consent
Does my state’s law require that a woman give informed consent and/or receive counseling prior to allowing an abortion to be performed?
No
Waiting period
Does my state place any waiting requirement on abortion so that a mother has more time to decide?
No
MAKING A MORE PROLIFE COLORADO
Your state does not (yet!) have a state family policy council working on the issue of life at your state’s capitol. But the need to fight for life in your state is critical!
If you’re interested in helping start a state family policy council in Colorado, please contact us at: Mail@familypolicyalliance.com.
And, be sure to check out the good prolife work being done by our national allies as well and find a way to plug into the #AfterRoe movement!