Colorado Leaders React To Leaked Abortion Supreme Court Draft Opinion

(CBS4) - Colorado reacted Monday night to a report out in Politico saying that a draft opinion circulating in the US Supreme Court shows The Court favors striking down the landmark Roe V. Wade decision that legalized abortion in America.

MORE FROM CBSNEWS.COM: Leaked draft opinion suggests Supreme Court may overturn Roe v. Wade

Gov. Jared Polis put out a statement via Twitter saying in part:
"Colorado remains a refuge where individual rights are respected and where any person has the ability to live, work, thrive and raise a family on their own terms. While this is extremely disappointing news, representing a radical shift in American life away from individual freedom, in Colorado we will continue to fight for and respect the right to make decisions about your own body and medical health."

Rep. Doug Lamborn, a Republican who represents Colorado's 5th Congressional District, tweeted "If the reporting by Politico is accurate, this ruling would be the most consequential pro-life decision in decades. I hope and pray this is true."

Polis recently signed Colorado's Health Equity Act into law only four weeks ago. It was the source of contentious debate between Republicans and Democrats and led to one of the longest filibusters in state government history. The law, passed with an eye on a potential change in the Supreme Court's views on abortion, puts into law that each pregnant person has the right to choose whether to continue their pregnancy or not and that an egg, embryo or fetus does not have independent rights.

But the fight that has largely played out at the federal level could now shift to the states.

"We're thrilled. This is one of many steps we've got to take for the sanctity of life in this country, said Jeff Hunt, director of the Centennial Institute and vice president of public policy at Colorado Christian University. "Overall we're very thrilled with this potential decision."

About a third of the states in the nation would be likely to pass more restrictive laws banning abortions before viability similar to the Mississippi law the Supreme Court is currently deciding. Other states have also recently passed more restrictive laws.

"You will have some states that will choose to protect life at the moment of conception, some states that will choose to allow abortion, all the way until moments of birth and then you have states all in between," said Hunt. "For our perspective is this has become now going to become a state by state issue for those that are pro-life have been advocating for product positions. We're going to end up with challenges in all fifty states… What was happening at the federal level and those battles, there are now going to happen at the state level."

It appears pro-abortion rights advocates are ready for the debate. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains passed along a message from their national organization. National President and CEO Alexis McGill Johnson said in a statement in part: "While we have seen the writing on the wall for decades, it is no less devastating and comes just as anti-abortion rights groups unveil their ultimate plan to ban abortion nationwide. Understand that Planner Parenthood and our partners have been preparing… and are built for the fight."