Amendment 79 would make abortion access a constitutional right in Colorado

The ballot measure would also lift Colorado's 40-year-old ban on public funding of abortions

Brandon Richard - Posted 5:31 PM, Oct 01, 2024 and last updated 10:45 PM, Oct 01, 2024

DENVER — Next month, Colorado voters will decide whether to enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution.

When Christina and Roy Taylor discovered their unborn baby didn’t have kidneys and wouldn’t survive, they decided to get an abortion. Christina was five months pregnant.

The Littleton couple has shared their story before in political campaigns. Now, they’re sharing it again in a new ad for Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom, which is leading the campaign in favor of Amendment 79.

Amendment 79 would put the right to an abortion into the Colorado constitution. It would also overturn Colorado’s 40-year ban on using state and local funds for abortion.

Supporters told Denver7 Tuesday it’s important to take the power away from lawmakers.

"I know what the stroke of a pen can do to abortion rights, and that's very important to us," Christina Taylor said at a press briefing on Tuesday. "That's very important to me to be able to put it in the constitution so that future legislators can't change it."

Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom said they’ve raised over $13 million so far, the most of any initiative this year.

This week, they’re rolling out new ads that will air through election day, encouraging Coloradans to vote in favor of Amendment 79.

Opponents of Amendment 79, including Colorado Right to Life, may not have as much money but they’re determined to defeat the ballot measure.

“We believe that life start starts at fertilization, meaning that a human is a human in the womb and they deserve the protection that any other person would receive,” said Scott Shamblin, the executive director of Colorado Right to Life.

They believe most Coloradans won’t like the idea of lifting the ban on public funds for abortion.

Abortion rights advocates in Colorado prepare for more legal challenges

“We want people to go into the polls really knowing what this is about,” said Gualberto Garcia Jones, an attorney who representing Colorado Right to Life in a recent lawsuit.

The group argued Colorado’s Blue Book election guide was biased in favor of Amendment 79 because it states there would be no fiscal impact if the measure passed.

“We believe the Blue Book is misleading and it's in violation of the Colorado constitution, which requires a fair and impartial summary of the ballot initiatives as a way of educating the public,” said Garcia Jones.

A Denver judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying that because the Blue Book is a product of the Colorado General Assembly, a separate branch of government, the court did not have subject matter jurisdiction to review how the book was put together.

Judges have used similar reasoning in the past in dismissing lawsuits that accused the Blue Book of being biased.

State Sen. Faith Winter, a Democrat who is a member of the legislative council — a bipartisan committee which oversees the creation of the book — told Denver7 the Blue Book is fair and unbiased.

“The Blue Book is entirely written by non-partisan legal staff that includes input from proponents and opponents,” Winter said.

Garcia Jones said Colorado Right to Life was considering filing an appeal.

Amendment 79 would require 55% of voter support to pass, the threshold for amending the state constitution.

Colorado elections officials will start sending out ballots on Oct. 11.

ORIGINAL POST: https://www.denver7.com/news/politics/amendment-79-would-make-abortion-access-a-constitutional-right-in-colorado