Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains’ CEO and President Vicki Cowart Sums Up the 2012 Colorado Legislative Session

DENVER – Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains looks back at key wins and losses for Colorado women and their families as the 2012 state legislative session comes to a close:

“We expected 2012 to usher in harmful bills targeting Colorado women and families, but thankfully our champions in the House and Senate as well as our advocates in the community did not sit idly by. We fought to defeat two attempts at establishing fetal 'personhood' as well as a resolution that could have opened the door to discriminatory practices as well as privacy issues.

• House Bill 1130 and Senate Bill 125 were two fetal homicide bills that would have created a new class of crime victims: human embryos. Because assault and homicide are crimes against persons, HB 1130 expanded legal personhood to include fertilized eggs. That’s exactly what Colorado voters said “NO” to by overwhelming majorities in the last two elections. Luckily, neither bill made it past the Senate Judiciary committee.
• Senate Memorial 003 would have put Colorado on record as supporting far-reaching federal legislation to allow any employer to refuse to provide any type of insurance coverage for their employees for any moral objection. Luckily, it did not clear the Senate.

“Yet the 2012 legislative session wasn’t all wins for women and families in Colorado. Senate Bill 93, a patient right-to-know measure, was defeated by the House. This bill would have ensured that patients know what services may or may not be available to them when entering health care facilities including the availability of sexual and reproductive health care services.

“PPRM also joined our coalition partners in dismay and disappointment over the demise of the Colorado Civil Union Act during the special session.

“While the legislative session is over, our work is far from done. This fall we anticipate Colorado voters will see a third attempt to establish ‘personhood’ through proposed initiative 46.

“Colorado voters have already overwhelmingly defeated two similar fetal ‘personhood’ ballot initiatives in the 2008 and 2010 elections, rejecting the measures by 3-to-1 margins both times. Through back-to-back defeats, Coloradans have recognized that giving fertilized eggs full legal rights would lead to harmful consequences like allowing politicians to intrude in difficult, private, personal, moral, and medical decisions best left to a woman in consultation with her doctor, her family, and her faith.

“In the coming weeks, Coloradans should look for PPRM’s Pledge to Oppose campaign which will remind Colorado voters that this third effort is exactly identical to the first two attempts. PPRM will ask voters to make their personal pledge to oppose this measure for a third time.

“Historically, Colorado has been a state that votes in favor of trusting women. We will do all we can to keep it that way.”

###

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains empowers individuals and families in the communities we serve to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health by providing high quality health services, comprehensive sex education, and strategic advocacy. More than 123,000 women, men, and young adults annually visit our 28 health centers throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Southern Nevada, and Wyoming. Since 1916, we have been the region’s most trusted provider of reproductive health care. For more information about Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, call 1.800.230.PLAN or visit pprm.org for the health center nearest you.

Source

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Inc.

Published

January 30, 2014

Updated

May 11, 2016