During a Colorado Springs campaign event in June, Republican candidate for Colorado Governor Heidi Ganahl said that individual states should decide if they want same-sex marriage and contraception to be legal.
Currently, same-sex marriage and contraception rights are protected nationwide because of landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases.
Below is a transcript of Ganahl’s answer to a question from the audience at the restaurant Brakeman’s Burgers, followed by audio of the exchange, which was obtained from a source.
Audience member: What else would be returned to the states? I mean, what did Clarence Thomas mention, contraception, gay marriage, should that be a state issue?
Ganahl: I don’t think that’s gonna happen. Let’s take it one step at a time. But I do believe in states’ rights, and I think that these decisions should be made by the states. But right now, in Colorado, there are some things that have gone way too far, and we need to pull back.
Audience member: Like what?
Ganahl: Like the abortion law that was just passed here.
Ganahl is referring to the Reproductive Health Equity Act passed by the Colorado legislature and signed by Ganahl’s November opponent, incumbent Gov. Jared Polis (D-CO), earlier this year. The bill enshrined abortion and contraception rights into state law. Ganahl has been open about her desire to restrict abortion rights in Colorado if elected.
When the Supreme Court’s conservative majority overturned Roe v. Wade in June, Justice Clarence Thomas wrote a concurring opinion to the decision saying that the court should also revisit cases that guarantee the legality of contraception, same-sex consensual relations, and same-sex marriage.
After Roe was overturned, Ganahl celebrated the decision on Twitter, saying the Supreme Court made the right decision.
“The Supreme Court has made the right decision today in empowering the states to make their own laws regarding abortion,” Ganahl tweeted. “State rights are essential to a thriving Constitutional Republic.”
Ganahl’s campaign did not respond to a request for comment. If one is provided this story will be updated to include the comment.
