Colorado Bishops Issue Open Letter to Governor Jared Polis Urging Veto of SB 183 Abortion Financing Bill

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Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila, Bishop Jorge Rodriguez, Bishop James Golka of Colorado Springs and Bishop Stephen Berg of Pueblo have issued an open letter to Governor Jared Polis through the Colorado Catholic Conference urging him to veto SB25-183, a recently approved state measure that would allocate a minimum of $1.5 million per year of taxpayer funds to cover elective abortions. The letter is printed in its entirety below.

Open Letter to Governor Polis on SB25-183 Abortion Funding Bill

From the Colorado Catholic Bishops

Dear Governor Jared Polis,

On Sunday, April 6, 2025, the Colorado House of Representatives passed out of the legislature (Senate Bill) SB25-183, “Coverage for Pregnancy-Related Services,” which mandates, at a minimum, 1.5 million dollars per year be allocated out of the Colorado general revenue fund for state-funded Medicaid-covered elective abortions. SB 183 now awaits your signature.

We urge you to veto this legislation.

As the Catholic Bishops of Colorado, we write to express our deep disappointment and grave concern regarding SB 183, which violates the dignity of human life and disregards the safety of women and the conscience rights of millions of Coloradans who do not want to pay for abortion.

While 62 percent of Coloradans voted for Amendment 79 in November, removing the prohibition on public funding for abortion, the electorate was informed by the legislative blue book and media that Amendment 79 would not cost the state money. Four months later, the state legislature introduced SB 183 with a 1.5-million-dollar fiscal note in a year when Colorado is in a 1-billion-dollar deficit. Recent data show a conservative cost estimate of state-funded abortion is actually more than $2 million per year.[1] In an abhorrent effort to offset the costs, the legislative fiscal note stated that the state will save money because more babies will be aborted, and the cost of abortion is cheaper than the cost of labor and delivery. Such a statement is an egregious reflection of the inhumane mentality behind the bill.

Furthermore, the fiscal note drastically underestimates the cost of abortion, calculating the average abortion at $1,300, which is the average cost of first-trimester abortions only.[2] According to the Colorado Department of Health, abortions after 21 weeks’ gestation make up 3.4% of all abortions in Colorado (the national average is 1 percent). In 2024, 1.1% of Colorado abortions were in the third trimester. Second and third-trimester abortions can cost between $3,000 - $30,000. The fiscal note also does not consider the cost of abortion travel of women outside of Colorado for abortion, which has gone up substantially in the last three years.

This legislation was introduced weeks after several botched abortions by unregulated abortion clinics were reported in Colorado — one of which resulted in the loss of life of an 18-year-old Fort Collins young woman. The value of the lives of preborn babies and their mothers is incalculable, and the impact on our state will be catastrophic.

Every human life, from conception to natural death, is a sacred gift from God. No act of law can change this truth, nor can it erase our moral obligation to defend the most vulnerable among us.

The allocation of millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to subsidize the deliberate ending of innocent life is a tragedy for Colorado. Rather than using state resources to support life-affirming alternatives — such as comprehensive prenatal care, adoption services and resources for women facing unexpected pregnancies — this bill instead prioritizes public funding of abortion at the expense of the lives of preborn children, the health of their mothers and the conscience rights of millions of Colorado taxpayers who morally object to abortion.

Despite the current law in Colorado, the Catholic bishops of Colorado and the three dioceses are committed to doing our part to help pregnant mothers who are considering abortion through the ongoing expansion of medical services, housing, counseling and resources, both during their pregnancy and after.

We urge you, Governor Polis, to consider the millions of Coloradans who do not want their hard-earned tax dollars to be used in the destruction of human life. We call upon you to veto SB 183.

Sincerely,

Most Reverend Samuel J. Aquila

Archbishop of Denver

Most Reverend Jorge H. Rodriguez

Auxiliary Bishop of Denver

Most Reverend Stephen J. Berg

Bishop of Pueblo

Most Reverend James R. Golka

Bishop of Colorado Springs

[1] Michael J. New, “An Analysis of Colorado’s SB 25-183,” Charlotte Lozier Institute (2 April 2025), https://lozierinstitute.org/an-analysis-of-colorados-sb-25-183/

[2] Legislative Council Staff, “Fiscal Note SB25-183,” Colorado Legislature (3 March 2025), https://leg.colorado.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2025A/bills/fn/2025a_sb183_00.pdf