Wednesday Is Deadline To Submit Petitions For 22-Week Abortion Ban Ballot Measure
DENVER (CBS4)- Wednesday is the deadline to submit petitions that would ban abortions after 22 weeks in Colorado. The group behind it needs nearly 125,000 signatures to get the measure on the November ballot.
Calling themselves the Due-Date Too-Late campaign, supporters of the 22 week ban carried boxes of petitions into the Secretary of State's Office Wednesday afternoon. Lauren Castillo, one of the organizers, says they have more than the required signatures to make the ballot, "We've put in a ton of work over the last couple months to be able get out to every single county in the state and mobilize people in their communities, in their churches."
It comes as the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments on an abortion case from Louisiana. It requires abortion providers to have privileges at a local hospital. Supporters say it's about safety. Opponents say it's about eliminating access to abortions.
The case could make it easier for state legislatures to restrict abortions.
There are several anti-abortion bills under discussion at the Colorado state capitol.
If Initiative 120 in Colorado is approved, it would make performing an abortion after 22 weeks gestational age a class one misdemeanor unless a doctor determined the procedure was necessary to save the life of the mother.
Colorado is one of the only states in the country that allows abortions at any point in a pregnancy for any reason, but polls show even most pro-choice Coloradans want limits. While Personhood measures have failed repeatedly here, pro-choice advocates acknowledge that if Initiative 120 makes the ballot, it could pass. "A lot of voters when first asked about abortion later in pregnancy, if they haven't had personal experience with it, they might be concerned or think that sounds reasonable," says Karen Middleton, President of the Colorado pro-choice group Cobalt. But she says that thinking will change once voters learn that the only exception is for a mother's life, not rape and incest, "Inserting government, politicians, or your neighbor into that decision goes too far." Colorado Right To Life, meanwhile, says it doesn't go far enough.
Castillo says it's where most voters are at, "Even in the last week alone, we collected over 43,000 signatures in six days."
She says they needed 125,000 signatures to make the ballot and turned in about 135 thousand, so it will be close. Whether it makes it or not, both sides agree abortion will be an even bigger issue the 2020 election, with a new Supreme Court likely to open the door to more restrictions.
