The success of pro-abortion ballot measures in California, Michigan, Vermont, and most recently in conservative-leaning Ohio demonstrate the electoral impact of abortion on voters. In Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District, U.S. Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-CO) is facing a Republican primary and challenges from Democrats and Libertarians, all of whom have different stances on abortion.
While many Republicans are attempting to pivot away from abortion due to fears of electoral backlash, Boebert remains committed to federal action on abortion. In June, Boebert joined U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn (R-CO) as a cosponsor of House Resolution 464, which “Acknowledg[es] that unborn children are legal and constitutional persons who are entitled to the equal protection of the laws.” And she’s repeatedly praised Sen. Tommy Tuberville (R-AL) for blocking hundreds of military promotions to protest the Defense Department’s abortion policy, most recently saying he has “some righteous reasons”
In September, during her remarks at the Las Animas County Lincoln Day Dinner, Boebert urged Republicans to work to repeal Colorado’s landmark pro-abortion legislation, the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA).
“I now have the most beautiful five-month-old grandson now because [my son and his girlfriend] chose life in Colorado,” Boebert said. “They didn’t have to do that. They did not have to tell me that anything was going on in our state. That is why we have to take our state back, if anything else, to protect the sanctity of life.”
Last year, Boebert introduced legislation to ban taxpayer-funded abortions for undocumented immigrants. “The Biden administration is unlawfully using taxpayer money to transport pregnant, illegal alien children across state lines for late-term abortions,” said Boebert in a news release. “My colleagues and I have introduced bicameral legislation to end these illegal and horrific policies once and for all. Taxpayer money should never fund abortions, whether for citizens or non-citizens. Our priority at the southern border should be security and peace, not death and destruction.”
In September, 2021, Boebert spoke out against abortions for victims of rape. “Rape victims need abortion? Wrong,” she said on the House floor. “They need love. They need support. They need safety and healing. They needed a Glock 19 when it happened.”
Russ Andrews, a former conservative radio commentator from Carbondale who is challenging Boebert for the Republican CD3 nomination in 2024, has a more nuanced stance on abortion.
“Every woman deserves access to the highest quality health care,” said Andrews in an email. “I believe in the sanctity of life. Abortions should be safe, legal and (extremely) rare.”
Jeff Hurd, a Grand Junction attorney who is also competing for the Republican CD3 nomination, did not respond to an emailed request for comment.
James Wiley, Boebert’s Libertarian challenger, opposes abortion. “Unwanted pregnancies should result in a child’s rehoming once independently viable, not death,” he said in an email. “Libertarian Candidates have historically run on a pro-choice platform. I and my peers have departed sharply from this previous position as we recognize the sovereignty of human life in even its smallest and most precious form. I believe abortion is the murder of one’s human peer no matter the number of cells. I propose a constitutional amendment to enshrine the right to life for all humans of whatever number of living cells. The fetal tissue industry must be destroyed. Let us not be a society of vampires.”
Democrat Adam Frisch, who narrowly lost to Boebert in the 2022 election, opposes federal restrictions on abortion. “It’s sad that we have someone running that is in that 8% or 10% of the country that does not want to allow women to make their own health care choices, even in the cases of rape, incest and the life of the mother,” he said during the 2023 Legislative Barbecue in August. “To me, time and time again, this is about making sure that women have the chances to live their lives as they want. We don’t want the government in any part of that doctor’s process, in the waiting room, in health care. I think health care freedom, especially women’s health care, reproductive rights, is super important. I just think it should be left to the family members and the doctors to make those decisions.”
