DENVER — Abortion access is now guaranteed in Colorado law after Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill enshrining that right Monday.
The Democratic governor signed HB22-1279, affirming that Coloradans who want access to reproductive care, including abortions, will be able to get it in the state, regardless of whether the U.S. Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade.
“In Colorado, we truly respect individual rights and freedom,” Polis said.
Speaking prior to the signing, House Majority Leader Daneya Esgar, a Democrat of Pueblo, referenced the 24 hours of debate on the House floor that it took to get the bill passed.
“It’s more now than ever to protect women and people who choose to be pregnant or choose not to be pregnant across the state,” Esgar said.
The bill passed out of the Colorado Legislature last month on a party-line vote, with Democrats, who are in control of both chambers, voting in favor of the bill. Each hearing on the bill garnered hours of debate and heavy Republican opposition.
Polis previously said he would sign the bill, with a spokesperson saying the governor “is for women’s freedom to make their own health care decisions.”
Colorado joins 15 other states and the District of Columbia that have codified abortion into law with the signing of the “Reproductive Health Equity Act.”
The legislation ensures the right to abortions and other reproductive care before and after pregnancy, and it would ban local and state governments from interfering in that care. It also would prevent a fertilized egg, embryo or fetus from having independent rights under state law.
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