Colorado’s Pro-Life Bills: Conscience Rights, Consent and Care
Several bills have been introduced this session in the Colorado legislature aimed to protect human life, parental rights and the deeply held beliefs of medical professionals. Sadly, these bills will probably never become Colorado law — but they should be.
Among the pro-life bills under consideration this session, the measures below would advance the cause for life in Colorado by protecting women, girls, babies, medical professionals and parental rights.
HB25-1255: Health-Care Provider Right to Exercise Conscience
This bill, also known as the Medical Ethics Defense Act, attempts to safeguard the conscience rights of healthcare professionals to act according to their ethical, moral or religious beliefs when working.
HB25-1255 would allow providers to refuse to participate in or pay for a procedure, treatment, or service that violates their conscience. The measure would also prohibit agencies from revoking or denying a license to professionals who exercise their free speech rights and follow their convictions.
The bill would also create a private cause of action against those who violate the conscience rights of healthcare professionals.
Medical professionals and faith-based hospitals who are morally opposed to abortion should not be forced to perform or provide abortion procedures.
HB25-1257: Relinquishment of Child in Newborn Safety Device
This measure aims to expand Colorado’s Safe Haven Law by allowing a newborn to be placed into a baby box at designated locations up to 60 days after birth. Under current law, a baby can only be surrendered within the first 72 hours of its birth.
Safe Haven Laws allow parents to anonymously surrender their newborn babies.
According to the legislation, some of the permitted locations for baby boxes include fire stations, hospitals, and emergency clinics.
These laws are compassionate because they give parents who may otherwise choose abandonment a safe alternative that lets newborn babies live and find adoptive placement with a family that wants to care for them.
HB25-1251: Parental Consent to Treatment of a Minor
This bill may seem unnecessary, but it’s not. HB25-1251 would prohibit people and organizations from arranging or performing a surgical procedure on a minor without the written or verbal consent of the minor’s parent. The measure creates exceptions for minors who are under the state’s custody, in an emergency situation, or if a court approves of the medical service.
The bill aims to involve parents in significant medical decisions affecting their children. Requiring parental consent protects minors and preserves parental rights.
This bill is necessary because it gives clear guidance for our state regarding the importance of parental involvement, specifically with regard to making healthcare decisions for minors.
HB25-1251: Abortion Clinic Regulation
This measure would require that abortion clinics performing second and third trimester abortions be licensed with the state and follow the safety standards of other medical facilities that perform medical or surgical abortions in the second and third trimester.
Under current law, abortion clinics are not regulated at all, jeopardizing the safety of women and girls.
According to the legislation, second and third trimester abortions are associated with significant risk. There is a 10% chance that a complication will arise in a second trimester abortion. The risk of maternal death from abortion increases by 38% every week after eight weeks of gestation.
Abortion clinics shouldn’t be given a loophole when it comes to safety standards. Women and girls deserve to have laws in place that keep them safe. This measure would ensure that abortion clinics are held to the same standards of safety as other facilities performing second and third trimester abortions.
Call To Action
Collectively, the presence of these bills works to advance a culture of life in Colorado as they move through the legislative process. Debate and public engagement are powerful tools to influence the hearts and minds of legislators and voters alike.
Coloradans can participate in the process by contacting their legislators to share their support for these bills, providing testimony at public hearings, joining a pro-life advocacy group and staying informed.
Active public participation ensures that the laws are advanced and reflect the people’s will. The pro-life community must engage in the process if they want the laws to reflect their values and protect the most vulnerable members of our society.
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