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DENVER — Today, the Colorado Secretary of State’s office announced a notice of sufficiency for a constitutional abortion rights ballot measure after activists turned in over 225,000 signatures last month. Ninety-two organizations and 132 individuals endorsed the initiative. Co-chairs of Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom, the Colorado-led coalition supporting the initiative, released the following statements:
“Today is an historic milestone for Coloradans and for the decades of work to protect abortion in our state. We’ve been building a movement to respond to the needs of the Latino community to ensure everyone who needs abortion care, regardless of insurance, can get the care they need. This initiative is our opportunity to ensure our state continues to honor the will of the voters. According to our third annual Colorado Latino Policy Agenda, protecting and expanding abortion rights is a mobilizing force for Latino voter turnout, with more than half of respondents saying that laws passed around the nation to limit or ban abortion make them more likely to vote. Protecting and expanding access to abortion is essential to democracy.” Dusti Gurule, President and CEO of the Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) and Campaign Co-Chair.
“In this time of uncertainty, we need to secure abortion rights and access in the Colorado Constitution, beyond the reach of politics and politicians. This initiative will secure that right for present and future generations,” said Karen Middleton, President of Cobalt and Co-Chair of Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom. “A right isn’t a right if you can’t exercise it because you can’t afford it. We have to ensure that insurance coverage for every Coloradan, whether the source of it is public or private, includes abortion care. Colorado voters have made it clear over and over again that they support abortion rights, and we are confident they will again in November.”
This initiative will appear on the 2024 Colorado ballot as the following: “A change to the Colorado constitution recognizing the right to abortion, and, in connection therewith, prohibiting the state and local governments from denying, impeding, or discriminating against the exercise of that right, allowing abortion to be a covered service under health insurance plans for Colorado state and local government employees and enrollees in state and local governmental insurance programs.”
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