After nearly a month of intense deliberations, passionate testimonies and public debate, Gov. Jared Polis signed HB22-127, the Reproductive Health Equity Act, into Colorado law on Monday, April 4.
The bill was met with much consternation, concern and outrage among the Colorado pro-life community because it allows abortions for any reason up until the moment of birth and does not grant personhood rights to preborn children. There was also a concern that the bill would remove parental notification laws, meaning a young girl could get an abortion without her parents being notified. However, Gov. Polis made it clear that this bill does not change existing parental notification laws in Colorado.
It marked a somber day for the pro-life community, which unified and rallied over a period of three weeks in an effort to prevent the bill from passing. Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila was outspoken in his opposition to the bill from the very beginning, and he expressed disappointment and sorrow at the passage of HB22-1279.
“#Jesus forgive us! Tragic day for #Colorado with signing of #HB22-1279 unrestricted #abortion up to birth with zero rights for the unborn. A triumph for the culture of death & further erosion of the dignity of human life. We will continue to #pray for the conversion of hearts,” the archbishop wrote in a tweet.
The Colorado Catholic Conference led much of the efforts and attempts to block this bill, and they similarly expressed disappointment and called citizens and lawmakers to foster a culture of life.
“The enactment of The Reproductive Health Equity Act is a truly tragic moment in our state’s history,” the Colorado Catholic Conference said in a statement. “Lawmakers should NOT be celebrating this terrible law, which endangers the lives of millions of preborn children and promotes a culture of death in Colorado. Moving forward, we all must work to defend the rights of preborn children, support new and expecting mothers, and foster a culture of life in our state.”
This week marks the final week of the spring 40 Days for Life campaign, which will end on Saturday with a Eucharistic Procession around the Planned Parenthood facility in Stapleton at 10 a.m. All are invited to come and pray as Archbishop Aquila leads the procession. For more information, click here.
