FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – AUGUST 10, 2023
Media Contact: Aurea Bolaños Perea,
Strategic Communications Director
aurea@colorlatina.org
DENVER, CO – On August 9, 2023, we were made aware of an interview that Gov. Polis was part of with CNN’s Dana Bash on July 23, 2023. In this interview, he said:
“On something like abortion choice, Democrats don’t believe that abortion is good. We believe it’s bad, and it should be minimized. How do you prevent unwanted pregnancies? What techniques do you use to make sure people are empowered with the information they need to not become pregnant unless they choose. How do they get good medical care so they don’t face difficult decisions midway through their pregnancy?”
Coloradans have voted time and time again to protect access to abortion care because access to any form of healthcare is more than just good policy, it is great policy. Voters in our state have successfully defeated over 44 attempts to ban or restrict abortion at the General Assembly since 2010 and 4 attempts at the ballot box since 2008. In 2020, Coloradans resoundingly voted against Prop 115, which would have set gestational limits for people seeking abortion care beyond 22 weeks. For Latinos, protecting and expanding access to abortion care was a key motivator for turning out to vote during the midterm elections in 2022. In our Colorado Latino Policy Agenda, we found that 68% of Latinos we polled support policies that ensure state residents have access to safe abortion and reproductive health.
As recently as this Tuesday, we saw that Ohioans turned out to vote in record numbers during a special election to reject a measure that would make it harder to change the state’s constitution, a response to the abortion bans that have been enacted across the country after Roe v. Wade was overturned last year. Coloradoans, just like Ohioans, know that protecting a person’s right to choose and seek abortion care is a fundamental right.
For over two decades, COLOR has ensured that our work centers Latinx individuals and that their families are able to access opportunities and resources for the health of their minds, bodies, and spirits, including access to reproductive healthcare from family planning services to abortion. Every pregnancy is unique and no one can possibly know another person’s circumstances when it comes to terminating a pregnancy. This is why it is paramount to protect the right to choose at all costs.
We are disappointed to hear the Governor of our state, who has signed multiple bills protecting a Coloradan’s right to choose and access abortion care, such as our bill known as the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA), would tell the media that abortion is bad. Coloradans support abortion. A majority of Americans believe that abortion should be protected. Our policy work not only proves it but ensures it. COLOR remains steadfast in our mission to protect the Latinx community and their reproductive health care needs.
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Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) is a community-rooted nonprofit organization that works to enable Latinx individuals and their families to lead safe, healthy, and self-determined lives.
