Nov 6, 2020 | NEWS | By Psalm Delaney | Photo by Barbara Bilic
On Tuesday night, an effort to ban abortions after 22 weeks in pregnancy was rejected by 1.78 million Colorado voters. With over 90% of votes counted as of Thursday evening, 58.8% of the state’s voters voted against the measure while 41.2% voted in support of the measure. In El Paso County specifically, 52.9% of voters voted for the measure, in keeping with the conservative lean of the county.
Colorado’s majority vote against Proposition 115 reaffirms its position as one of seven states that do not have abortion date restrictions. This ballot measure is the state’s fourth attempt to regulate abortions since 2008.
Support for the initiative was led by the Due Date Too Late Initiative, which is operated by the Coalition for Women and Children. It was further supported by U.S. Representative Ken Buck, the Republican Party of Colorado, Democrats for Life of Colorado President Tom Perille, Alliance for Life, End Birthday Abortions Colorado, Coalition to Help Moms and Save Babies, the Catholic Medical Association, and Respect Life Denver. The campaign reported a net fund contribution of $536,768 and a total fund expenditure of $405,210.
Democrats for Life of Colorado released a statement on their Twitter @Dems4LifeCO on Tuesday night, saying, “So inducing heart attacks on pre-born babies and ripping them limb by limb from their mother’s wombs is still legal in Colorado.”
The other supporting organizations listed above have not yet released any statements.
The opposition campaign was led by Abortion Access for All (also known as No on 115), the ACLU of Colorado, Colorado Cobalt Advocates, Colorado Rising State Action, Democracy for America, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains Action Fund, Progress Now Colorado, and The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado.
It was also supported by Students Vote No on 115 and the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) — Pro-Choice America. The opposing campaign raised a net contribution of $6.99 million and spent a total of $6.93 million.
Abortion Access for All announced their victory on Facebook, stating, “Coloradans just made their position clear: medical decisions belong between patient and doctor. For the 4th time in 12 years, we voted #NoOn115 to stop the abortion ban on the ballot. Coloradans decided long ago that abortion should be accessible and safe, whether at 6 weeks or at 22 weeks. It’s time to lay this issue to rest and move #BeyondTheBans.”
“The defeat of Prop 115 marks a huge win not just for Coloradans, but also for people across the country who would have been harmed by this cruel ban on access to abortion care,” read a statement from NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue. “Pro-Choice America was proud to stand with our partners in Colorado and our more than 58,000 members across the state in fighting to ensure that everybody has the freedom to control their own lives, destinies, and futures.”