VICTORY FOR COLORADO WOMEN AND FAMILIES: BACKERS OF ABORTION BAN FAIL TO SUBMIT SIGNATURES FOR NOVEMBER BALLOT
Victory for Colorado Women and Families
Backers of Abortion Ban Fail to Submit Signatures for November Ballot Denver, Colo. (August 7, 2006) – Backers of an anti-abortion initiative failed today to submit the necessary signatures to secure a spot on this November’s ballot. “By failing to garner the necessary support, the message is loud and clear -- regardless of their views on abortion, Coloradans don’t support government interference in a family’s health care decisions,” said Kathryn Wittneben, Co-Chair for Protect Families Protect Choice. Backers of the initiative had until 3 o’clock today to submit approximately 68,000 signatures to the Colorado Secretary of State. They failed to meet the deadline. “Simply put, Colorado voters do not want the government intruding into the practice of medicine, criminalizing doctors for acting in a patient’s interest, or having their privacy jeopardized,” said Fofi Mendez, Protect Families Protect Choice Campaign Consultant. Wittneben continued, “As they have made their will quite clear twice before, voters unequivocally reject government mandates on personal and private medical decisions. We are confident that the commonsense voters of Colorado would have soundly rejected this measure as well.”
If passed, the proposed initiative would have been the only state law to dictate specific medical procedures to doctors and patients.
“It’s a great relief to know a family’s right to make their own health care decisions without government intrusion remains intact,” concluded Mendez. “It’s clear the voters of Colorado do not want to play politics with the health and well-being of Colorado families.” About Protect Families Protect Choice: Protect Families Protect Choice is a broad-based coalition comprised of health care providers, clergy, women’s organizations, and individuals dedicated to protecting the rights of women and their families. Member organizations include ACLU of Colorado, American Association of University Women, Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, Denver Women’s Commission, League of Women Voters, NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Colorado Republican Majority for Choice, Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, and the Women’s Lobby of Colorado. The Protect Families Protect Choice coalition previously defeated a so-called partial birth abortion ban (Amendment 11) in 1998 and the so-called Woman’s Right to Know Act (Amendment 25) in 2000. ###
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