March 9, 2023, the Colorado General Assembly introduced legislation referred to as the
“Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA) 2.0”
In 2023, Pro-Abortion Colorado lawmakers are still pushing for more abortion access, including:
· Eliminating a woman’s choice to sustain her pregnancy and save her child’s life through Abortion Pill Reversal treatment;
· Restricting the good work of Pregnancy Resource Centers;
· Circumventing Colorado’s constitutional prohibition against public funding of abortion;
· Increasing access to contraception and abortion referrals to minors;
· Violating First Amendment rights of medical professionals and hospitals that do not provide abortion-related or “gender affirming care”;
· Violating First Amendment rights of employers who do not provide abortion or “gender affirming care” in their insurance plan.
The so-called “Safe Access to Protected Health Care” package of three bills includes:
I. SB23-190 Prohibiting Deceptive Practices at Anti-Abortion Centers
II. SB23-189 Increasing Access to Reproductive Health Care Services
III. SB23-188 Protecting Health Care Patients, Providers, and Assistors
Here is an initial breakdown of RHEA 2.0:
I. SB23-190 Prohibiting Deceptive Practices at Anti-Abortion Centers
Sponsors: Sens. Faith Winter and Janice Marchman, and Reps. Karen McCormick and Elisabeth Epps.
If enacted, SB 190 would:
1) Ban the Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) treatment.
· Pro-Abortion lawmakers are removing the choice of a woman to sustain her pregnancy and save her child’s life.
· Abortion Pill Reversal is a safe and effective way to attempt to reverse the effects of chemical abortion by taking progesterone (a naturally occurring hormone). It is prescribed by a licensed medical provider to outcompete the life-ending effects of chemically induced abortion for the baby. Progesterone, the “pro-gestation” hormone is crucial to sustaining pregnancies and has been widely used for decades by OB-GYNs around the world to help mitigate the threat of a pregnancy loss, whether that be naturally in a miscarriage or electively in a chemical abortion. There are no known side effects for the baby and no adverse effects for the mom. Babies who have been born to mothers who have taken progesterone during pregnancy are healthy and strong. The protocol during Abortion Pill Reversal works to restore the mother’s hormones to reverse the effects of the chemical abortion pill.
· This is a violation of First Amendment freedoms of those who wish to promote the safety and accessibility of Abortion Pill Reversal treatment.
2) Ban advertising of Pregnancy Resource Centers.
· Pro-Abortion lawmakers are attempting to shut-down life-affirming alternatives to abortion for women experiencing an unexpected pregnancy, again eliminating choice.
· Pregnancy Resource Centers (PRC) are life-affirming centers that provide care and resources to assist women and families with immediate and ongoing needs related to unexpected pregnancy. Their focus and advertisement on alternatives to abortion is designed to empower a woman to welcome her child into the world. Pregnancy Resource Centers outnumber abortion clinics 51-20 in the state of Colorado, which is why the abortion-lobby is pushing Colorado lawmakers to eliminate life-affirming choices for women.
· This is a violation of Pregnancy Resource Centers’ First Amendment rights by compelling state-sanctioned disclosures for pregnancy centers regarding abortion, which has previously been acknowledged as a violation of freedom of speech by the U.S. Supreme Court.[1]
For more information on Abortion Pill Reversal you can visit Bella Health and Wellness explainer here. If you want to learn more about how a chemical abortion works from an OB-GYN and former abortionist click here.
II. SB23-189 Increasing Access to Reproductive Health Care Services
Sponsors Sens. Dominick Moreno and Lisa Cutter, and Reps. Dafna Michaelson Jenet, and Lorena Garcia.
If enacted, SB 189 would attempt to circumvent Colorado’s prohibition against public funding of abortion in section 50 of article V of the Colorado Constitution[2] by:
1) Requiring for large employer insurance plans to provide coverage for the total cost of an abortion and requiring individual/small group plans to provide abortion coverage if the federal Dept. of Health and Human Services approves it. A religious exemption is not guaranteed but may be determined by the state court system.
2) Expanding the state-run “reproductive health-care program” to allow minors under the age of 19 years to apply for and enroll themselves in the state-funded “family planning services” and “family planning related services” program, [3] which includes access to contraception and abortion referrals without parental consent.[4]
III. SB23-188 Protecting Health Care Patients, Providers, and Assistors
Sponsors: Sens. Julie Gonzales and Sonya Jaquez Lewis, and Reps. Meg Froelich and Brianna Titone.
If enacted, SB 188 would also contain First Amendment violations, including:
1) Restrictions against the ability of medical providers to terminate contracts of employees who violate lawful Ethical Religious Directives by either performing "gender affirming care" (transition surgeries, hormone therapy, etc.) or "abortion related services" (abortion, tubal ligations, etc.). It contains no religious exemption.
2) Provisions regarding insurance provider requirements for “gender affirming care.” This is a similar provision to what was in the Obama Admin. Affordable Health Care Act and was subsequently and successfully challenged by Burwell v. Hobby Lobby in 2014 for violating religious liberty.
Contact your representatives and ask them vote “NO” on:
SB 190 Prohibiting Deceptive Practices at Anti-Abortion Centers
SB 189 Increasing Access to Reproductive Health Care Services
SB 188 Protecting Health Care Patients, Providers, and Assistors
Testify against these bills. We need your voice! If you would like to testify and need assistance, please sign-up here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SS9H2V6
Call and email bill Prime Sponsors:
SB 190 Prohibiting Deceptive Practices at Anti-Abortion Centers
Senator Faith Winter
303-866-4863
Senator Janice Marchman
janice.marchman.senate@coleg.gov
303-866-4853
Representative Karen McCormick
karen.mccormick.house@coleg.gov
303-866-2780
Representative Elisabeth Epps
elisabeth.epps.house@coleg.gov
303-866-2911
SB 189 Increasing Access to Reproductive Health Care Services
Senator Dominick Moreno
dominick.moreno.senate@coleg.gov
303-866-4857
Senator Lisa Cutter
303-866-4859
Representative Dafna Michaelson Jenet
dafna.michaelson.jenet.house@coleg.gov
303-866-2945
Representative Lorena Garcia
303-866-2964
SB 188 Protecting Health Care Patients, Providers, and Assistors
Senator Julie Gonzales
julie.gonzales.senate@coleg.gov
303-866-4862
Senator Sonya Jaquez Lewis
sonya.jaquez.lewis.senate@coleg.gov
303-866-5291
Representative Meg Froelich
303-866-2921
Representative Brianna Titone
brianna.titone.house@coleg.gov
303-866-2962
[1] Nat’l Inst. of Life & Family Advocates v. Becerra, 2018
[2] https://law.justia.com/constitution/colorado/cnart5.html
[3] https://casetext.com/statute/colorado-revised-statutes/title-255-health-care-policy-and-financing/colorado-medical-assistance-act/article-4-colorado-medical-assistance-act-general-medical-assistance/part-4-providers-reimbursement/section-255-4-412-family-planning-services-family-planning-related-services-rules-definitions
[4] chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/IF/IF10051