STATEWIDE COALITION PRAISES EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION VOTE, DENOUNCES ABORTION BAN
Vote on EC demonstrates responsible commitment toward promoting women’s health rather than divisive measure that would endanger women’s lives DENVER (Feb. 12) – A statewide coalition of pro-choice organizations heralded the vote by the Colorado House of Representatives Health & Human Services Committee today to send SB 60 (Boyd, McGihon), "Emergency Contraception Information for Sexual Assault Survivors," to the full House while opposing SB 143 (Renfroe, Lambert), an anti-abortion bill that would ban virtually all abortions in Colorado. "The vote on SB 60 demonstrates a clear commitment to moving women’s health care forward in Colorado," said Kate Horle, co-chair of the Protect Families, Protect Choice coalition. "Members of the House Health & Human Services Committee joined their Senate counterparts in taking an important step toward ensuring Colorado women have access to the information they need to make healthy, informed decisions about their health and to minimize the risk of pregnancy following a brutal attack." Sponsored by Senator Betty Boyd (D-SD 21, Lakewood) and Representative Anne McGihon (D-HD 3, Denver), SB 60 would require hospital emergency rooms to provide information about emergency contraception (EC) to sexual assault survivors as a basic standard of care. The bill previously passed out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on a bi-partisan 6-2 vote and out of the full Senate on a bi-partisan 25-10 vote. Scheduled for a committee hearing in the Senate Judiciary Committee this afternoon, the anti-abortion bill would ban all abortions in Colorado except those performed to save the life of the pregnant woman. There are no exceptions for survivors of rape or incest. "The anti-abortion bill – SB 143 -- is a façade: While purporting to end abortion, it does nothing to actually mitigate the need for abortion in Colorado, such as reducing unintended pregnancies or complicating factors that endanger the health or life of a pregnant woman," said Kathryn Wittneben, co-chair of the Protect Families, Protect Choice coalition. "Rather than introducing irresponsible legislation that endangers women’s health and shows no compassion for victims of rape or incest, policymakers should follow the example set by Senator Boyd and Representative McGihon by advancing sound public policy strategies to reduce the need for abortion -- not criminalize the constitutionally protected right to choose a safe, legal medical procedure." Member organizations of the Protect Families, Protect Choice coalition urge Colorado policymakers to focus on moving women’s health care forward, not turning back the clock on a woman’s right to choose. "Coloradans recognize and respect a woman’s fundamental right to make the most personal, private decisions that impact her life without government interference. They believe women, in consultation with their own families and doctors and in keeping with their personal religious or moral beliefs, should decide whether and when to have children," said Amanda Mountjoy, spokesperson for the Republican Majority for Choice in Colorado. As introduced, SB 143 violates a woman’s constitutionally protected right to choose an abortion determined by the U.S. Supreme Court in Roe v. Wade in 1973. It also makes no exception for the preservation of the health of the mother, another constitutional requirement determined in Roe and upheld in Planned Parenthood v. Casey and Stenberg v. Carhart. Protect Families, Protect Choice Coalition: ACLU of Colorado, The Colorado AAUW, Colorado League of Women Voters, Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA), Colorado NOW, Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR), Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice, Colorado Republican Majority for Choice, Colorado Women’s Agenda, Denver Women’s Commission, NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Rocky Mountain Riveters, The White House Project, Women’s Health (Boulder Valley Women’s Health Center), and Women’s Lobby of Colorado ###
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