A controversial Colorado bill that would legalize abortion for all nine months of pregnancy and that declares the fetus has no rights passed the state House of Representatives Tuesday.
The bill, known by supporters as the Reproductive Health Quality Act (HB 1279), declares abortion a “fundamental right” and notes that the U.S. Supreme Court could overturn Roe v. Wade in the coming months. It passed the state House Tuesday, 40-24.
Pro-life activists call the bill radical and say it would roll back common-sense pro-life laws, such as parental notification requirements for teens and girls.
The bill, if passed and signed into law, “could make Colorado the most radical abortion state in the country,” the Colorado Catholic Conference said.
The language of the bill itself has sparked controversy.
“A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights under the laws of this state,” the bill says.
It further states that a pregnant individual “has a fundamental right to continue a pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion and to make decisions about how to exercise that right.”
Governments shall not “deny, restrict, interfere with, or discriminate against” an individual’s right to “have an abortion,” the bill says.
The Colorado Catholic Conference says the bill would “allow on-demand abortion for the full 40 weeks of pregnancy” and “allow abortion discrimination based on sex, race, or disability.” It also could “prohibit regulation of abortion based on the health of the woman or her baby,” the conference said.
“HB 1279 violates the fundamental human right to life for millions of preborn children,” the conference said. “And it is out-of-touch with the desires of millions of Colorado voters. We must show Colorado lawmakers that they legislate on behalf of the people – and the people of Colorado do not want to live in the most radical abortion state in the country.”
Related:
'Big Victory': Texas Supreme Court Rules against Abortion Clinics in Heartbeat Law Case
78 Unborn Lives Saved during 40 Days for Life: 'I Don't Want to Hurt My Child'
Biden Denounces Florida's 15-Week Abortion Ban: 'My Administration Will Not Stand' for This
'Victory': Supreme Court Lets Kentucky Attorney General Defend Pro-Life Law
Republicans Block Biden-Backed Bill Guaranteeing Abortion 'Without Limitations'
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Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.
