Democratic Colorado Gov. Jared Polis is scheduled to sign a set of health care bills Friday afternoon to enshrine access to abortion and gender-affirming procedures and medications, as the Democrat-led state tries to make itself a safe haven for its neighbors, whose Republican leaders are restricting care.
The goal of the legislation is to ensure people in surrounding states and beyond can go to Colorado to have an abortion, begin puberty blockers or receive gender-affirming surgery. Bordering states of Wyoming and Oklahoma have passed abortion bans and Utah has prohibited transgender care for minors.
With the new laws, Colorado joins Illinois as a progressive bastion for reproductive rights surrounded mostly by conservatives states. Illinois abortion clinics now serve people living in a 1800-mile (2900-kilometer) stretch of 11 Southern states that have largely banned abortion.
California and New York are considering similar bills after the U.S. Supreme Court knocked down Roe. v. Wade, putting abortion laws in the hands of state legislatures.
Colorado's southern neighbor, New Mexico, is also controlled by Democrats, and signed a similar abortion bill earlier this year. It legally shields those who seek abortions or transgender care, and those who provide the treatments, from interstate investigations. The Colorado bill blocks court summons, subpoenas and search warrants from states that decide to prosecute someone for having an abortion.
Gov. Polis added the first layer of abortion protection a year ago, signing an executive order that bars state agencies from cooperating with out-of-state investigations regarding reproductive healthcare. One of the bills he's signing Friday codifies that order into law.
It similarly shields patients who travel to Colorado for gender-affirming health care from prosecution in other states. While gender-affirming health care has been available for decades and is legal for adults in the U.S., some states have barred minors from accessing it, even with parental consent.
Conservative states are pushing back. Idaho passed a bill that outlaws providing a minor with abortion pills or helping them leave the state to terminate a pregnancy without their parents’ consent.
Visits to Colorado’s abortion clinics have increased by about a third since the Supreme Court ruling and wait times for an appointment have increased from one or two days up to three weeks, according to state lawmakers. They also expect an increase in wait times for gender-affirming care.
Also on Friday, Polis is expected to sign a law that outlaws “deceptive practices” by anti-abortion centers, which are known to market themselves as abortion clinics, but don't actually offer the procedure. Instead, they attempt to convince patients to not terminate their pregnancies. The bill would also prohibit sites from offering to reverse a medical abortion.
A third bill requires large employers to offer coverage for the total cost of an abortion. The rule allows a carveout for employers who object on religious grounds and does not include public employees because Colorado's constitution forbids the use of public funds for abortions.
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Jesse Bedayn is a corps member for the Associated Press/Report for America Statehouse News Initiative. Report for America is a nonprofit national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms to report on undercovered issues.
