Colorado abortion rights groups launch 2024 ballot measure effort
A coalition in Colorado kicked off an effort to place an amendment on the November 2024 ballot that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
A coalition of reproductive rights groups in Colorado officially kicked off an effort Monday to place an amendment on the November ballot that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.
Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom is beginning its signature-collection efforts with events throughout the state — timing its campaign launch with the 51st anniversary of the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision, which, until it was overturned in 2022, had legalized abortion rights throughout the U.S.
The group’s efforts make Colorado the eighth state where reproductive rights groups have advanced efforts seeking to enshrine abortion rights in a state constitution via a citizen-led ballot initiative in 2024. Other states where similar efforts are underway include Florida, Arizona, Montana and Missouri.
But unlike in those states, there are no laws restricting abortion care in Colorado. In fact, Colorado is one of six states where there are no gestational limits at all for women seeking abortion care. As a result, the state has become a haven of sorts for women living in conservative states where abortion is restricted or effectively illegal.
Organizers behind the Colorado amendment effort say it’s crucial to formally enshrine those rights so future lawmakers don’t have the opportunity to undo the robust protections the state offers women seeking abortions and other reproductive care — not only for its own residents, but for the surge of women traveling to the state.
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