Amendment 79 would make access to abortion a constitutional right in Colorado

DENVER – Colorado voters will decide next month whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

When Christina and Roy Taylor discovered that their unborn child had no kidneys and would not survive, they decided to have an abortion. Christina was five months pregnant.

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

Amendment 79 would add abortion rights to the Colorado Constitution. It would also repeal Colorado’s 40-year-old ban on using state and local funds for abortion.

Supporters told Denver7 on Tuesday that it was important to take power away from lawmakers.

“I know what the stroke of a pen can do for abortion rights, and it’s very important to us,” Christina Taylor said at a news conference Tuesday. “It’s very important to me to be able to write this into the constitution so that future legislators can’t change it.”

Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom said it has raised more than $13 million so far, the most of any initiative this year.

This week they are releasing new ads that will run on Election Day encouraging Coloradans to vote for Amendment 79.

Opponents of Amendment 79, including Colorado’s Right to Life, may not have that much money, but they are determined to defeat the bill.

“We believe that life begins at fertilization, which means that a person is a person in the womb and deserves the protections that any other person would receive,” said Scott Shamblin, executive director of Colorado Right to Life.

They believe that most Coloradans will not like the idea of ​​lifting the ban on public funds for abortion.

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

The group argued that the Colorado Blue Book voting guide was biased and favored Amendment 79 because it stated that adopting the measure would have no budget impact.

“We believe the Blue Book is misleading and violates the Colorado Constitution, which requires a fair and impartial summary of voting initiatives for the purpose of educating the public,” Garcia Jones said.

A Denver judge dismissed the lawsuit, saying that because the Blue Book is a product of the Colorado General Assembly, a separate governmental branch, the court lacked substantive jurisdiction to review how the book was put together.

In the past, judges have used similar reasoning when rejecting lawsuits accusing the Blue Book of bias.

State Sen. Faith Winter, a Democrat who serves on the Legislative Council, the bipartisan committee overseeing the creation of the book, told Denver7 that the Blue Book is fair and impartial.

“The Blue Book was written entirely by an impartial lawyer and includes input from supporters and opponents,” Winter said.

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

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

Colorado elections officials will begin sending out ballots on October 11.