Democrats stop Republicans’ anti-choice bill

abortion ban and bills from passing in Colorado Aysha Qamar Daily Kos Staff 2022/02/25 · 17:14 44 17 Comments 17 New Pro-choice activists supporting legal access to abortion protest during a demonstration outside the US Supreme Court in Washington, DC, March 4, 2020, as the Court hears oral arguments regarding a Louisiana law about abortion access in the first major abortion case in years. - The United States Supreme Court on Wednesday will hear what may be its most significant case in decades on the controversial subject of abortion. At issue is a state law in Louisiana which requires doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at a nearby hospital. (Photo by SAUL LOEB / AFP) (Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images) RSS PUBLISHED TO Aysha Qamar Daily Kos This Week in the War on Women TAGS Abortion AbortionBan Bills Colorado Democrats GOP Health HealthCare HumanRights MaternalHealth Pregnancy Pro-Choice PublicHealth ReproductiveRights Republicans Women WomensRights mybodymychoice Share this article As the country awaits the Supreme Court decision regarding the Mississippi law that has the ability to limit abortion rights across the country by overturning Roe v. Wade, states nationwide are introducing their own versions of the 15-week abortion ban. But while some GOP states have succeeded in having the anti-abortion bill pass, Democrats in Colorado defeated three anti-abortion bills on Wednesday during a meeting of the Colorado House’s Health and Insurance Committee, The Colorado Times Recorder reported. The three bills included a bill to ban abortion, a bill to collect and report data on abortion, and a personhood bill. The personhood bill, titled “Abolishing Abortion in Colorado,” defines a “person” to include “an unborn child at every stage of gestation from fertilization until birth.” According to the bill sponsored by Reps. Dave Williams, Kim Ransom, Ron Hanks, and Shane Sandridge, the state would have to enforce homicide and assault provisions on those who have abortions and those who provide abortion-related medical care, because abortion would be considered the murder of a person. It also authorizes the state to disregard any federal court decision that would forbid or void the requirement. Further, it subjects Colorado judges to impeachment or removal if a judge purports to enjoin, stay, overrule, or cancel the condition. Under “Induced Termination Of Pregnancy State Registrar,” aimed at collecting the data of those who have abortions, providers would have been required to report their patients’ demographics, any prior abortion history, and why they received the treatment. If the providers refused to do so, they could face losing their license to practice medicine. All three bills were voted down, 4-7, with speakers in favor of the bills comparing abortion to the Holocaust and slavery. According to The Colorado Times Recorder, bill supporters also misquoted information about Margaret Sanger and Black abortion rates. Those in favor of the bills advocated forcing women to carry pregnancies to term, including those conceived through rape. “Tonight was truly disgusting,” Rep. Kyle Mullica who voted against the bill said. He emphasized the lack of an exception for women who have been raped. “I’m disgusted at the thought of that.” Supporters of the bills were more concerned with the rights of life an “unborn child” has than the person carrying the pregnancy. “We must abolish child sacrifice,” Susan Sutherland of Colorado Right to Life said. Members of the organization also said that they vow to hold elected officials accountable for their positions on the issue of abortion. According to a survey conducted in 2020, 76% of Colorado participants agreed with the statement “when it comes to ending a pregnancy, a woman should have the power to make decisions about her body.” Despite this, Colorado limits public funding for abortion and requires a parent or guardian to be informed of a minor’s procedure. Today, 87% of state counties don’t have an abortion provider. “With the Supreme Court likely to strike down Roe v. Wade, it’s more important than ever that we defeat these extreme Republican bills that would ban abortion in Colorado,” state Rep. Susan Lontine, chair of the Health and Insurance Committee, said in a statement after the hearing. “Coloradans have said time and time again that we trust women to make their own decisions and we don’t want to imprison doctors or ban abortion. We won’t let Republican politicians take us back to a time when women died while trying to seek the care they need.” Reproductive rights are fundamental human rights. No one should be coerced or gaslit into making a decision that may not be what they want for their body and health. Additionally, policies that ban or limit abortion do not decrease the number of abortions, as some GOP officials believe. Instead, they restrict a woman’s right to her bodily autonomy and increase the number of unsafe abortions and maternal health problems that occur.