Nicole Hunt, an analyst and spokesperson for conservative Christian powerhouse Focus on the Family, argues that the spending gap between pro- and anti-abortion groups is one of the contributing factors to the success of abortion ballot measures this year.
The national libertarian youth activism organization, Young Americans for Liberty (YAL), has assembled a network of extreme conservative state legislators as part of its Hazlitt Coalition. Pulling its members from legislatures across the country, the Hazlitt Coalition’s Colorado delegation includes Reps. Scott Bottoms (R-Colorado Springs), Ken DeGraaf (R-Colorado Springs), Brandi Bradley (R-Littleton), and Stephanie Luck (R-Penrose).
While the Colorado Senate considered the House’s amendments to the “Safe Access to Protected Health Care” package of legislation, members of Colorado for Life, Colorado Christian University, Focus on the Family, the Colorado Catholic Conference, and other anti-abortion groups took part in a “Rally for Life” on the Capitol steps.
As the Colorado Democrats’ “Safe Access to Protected Health Care” package of legislation moves to House for consideration, Republicans have taken to talk radio to share their views on the proposed bills that target the marketing practices of anti-abortion centers and their use of an unproven pill to reverse an abortion, expand legal protections for patients and providers seeking reproductive and gender-affirming health care, and expand insurance coverage for those seeking reproductive health care.
State Rep. Stephanie Luck (R-Penrose) State Rep. Stephanie Luck is no stranger to culture war-inspired controversies. The Penrose Republican has developed a reputation as an anti-abortion hardliner, calling the practice “legalized genocide,” and pushed a bill that would have required medical providers to collect personal data from abortion patients; she’s also an election denier who, in April 2021, asked Trump attorney John Eastman if there were any remaining avenues to overturn the 2020 presidential election. Now, she’s become the latest Republican to accuse LGBTQ people of preying on young children, a homophobic trope that’s as worn out as it is dangerous.
During the Feb. 17 Colorado House Health and Insurance Committee hearing for Rep. Stephanie Luck’s (R-Penrose) proposed law to require pain medication be administered to fetuses before abortion procedures, Will Duffy, president of Colorado Right to Life, and Jeff Durbin of End Abortion Now testified against the bill.
Three anti-abortion bills were killed in the House and Insurance Committee on Friday. The bills, introduced by Rep. Stephanie Luck (R-Penrose) and Rep. Scott Bottoms (R-CO Springs), were part of the annual tradition where Republican legislators introduce anti-abortion legislation that fails to move forward in the Democrat controlled legislature. Last year, testimony in support of bills aimed at ending abortion and collecting additional medical data on abortion patients died after a 12-hour session. This year, bills to end abortion in Colorado, provide pain medication to fetuses during abortions, and provide information about abortion pill reversal were voted down, eight to three, during nearly seven hours of testimony.
U.S. Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO), alongside Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN), has introduced legislation to safeguard medication abortion in states, like Colorado, where abortion remains legal.
Anti-abortion activists used the public comment period during last night’s Pueblo City Council meeting to voice opposition to a CARE [Clinics for Abortion and Reproductive Excellence] clinic that recently purchased property in Pueblo. Activists called on the council to take action to prevent the clinic from opening.
In the wake of Colorado’s primary elections last week and the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and return abortion laws to state authority, Republicans and conservatives continue to push anti-abortion policy via legislation, ballot initiatives, campaign rhetoric, and leadership elections. Despite recent failures in enacting their agenda and a demonstrated lack of support from the state’s voters, the Colorado GOP is undeterred.
