The Democratic Governor of Colorado, Jared Polis, recently signed a trio of bills on Friday that would protect the rights to abortion- as well as a few gender-affirming services provided in the state.
This comes at the same time as access to the so-called abortion pill throughout the country remains in a position of limbo, and some of the neighboring conservative states have decided to restrict these procedures. The signature by the governor comes a year after he had initially signed a measure that would codify the right to abortion into law in Colorado- just a few months before the Supreme Court in the country had eliminated federal protections for abortion rights by overturning Roe v Wade. At the same time, a couple of neighboring states- namely Wyoming and Oklahoma also passed strict bans on abortion.
Jared Polis Has Signed Bills That Safeguard Abortion Rights
One of the many bills that Jared Polis signed was SB23-188– which sets the state up to be a haven for people from states with far more restrictive laws- who have been seeking access to gender-affirming treatment and abortion. The new law bars the courts of the state or judicial officers from dispatching subpoenas in connection with a proceeding in another state that would involve a person who received or helped in an abortion, or gender-affirming treatment in the state- both of which have been protected legally in this state.
Along with Jared Polis, Michelle Lujan Grisham, the Democratic Governor of New Mexico, the blue neighbor of Colorado to the south, also signed legislation the previous month that would prohibit the local municipalities and several other public bodies from interfering with the ability of a person to access gender-affirming or reproductive health care services in the state.