April 14, 2023
Archdiocese of Denver
1300 S. Steele St. Denver, CO 80210
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
ARCHDIOCESE OF DENVER CONDEMNS SIGNING OF ABORTION BILLS
RHEA 2.0 bills violate First Amendment Rights of Coloradans
DENVER – The Archdiocese of Denver mourns the signing of three more extreme abortion bills into Colorado law. When pro-abortion lawmakers in the General Assembly tell Coloradans they prioritize abortion over life-affirming reproductive healthcare decisions, our hearts ache for those women who consequently lost their right to change their mind and those children who will not be allowed to live. Archbishop Samuel J. Aquila says, “Governor Polis is clearly not listening to the hundreds of Coloradans pleading with him to not take away a woman’s right to choose life for her preborn child, and the thousands of people who have advocated against all four abortion bills over the last two years.”
All four abortion laws, including last year’s Reproductive Health Equity Act, violate the First Amendment rights of Coloradans who do not support unrestricted abortion for the full 40-weeks of pregnancy. This new group of bills even includes a measure that forces all Coloradans to pay for abortion through their insurance premiums. This is not freedom, it’s immoral coercion.
You can read the full statement supported by the Catholic bishops of Colorado and the three dioceses in our state in the attached press release from the Colorado Catholic Conference. CCC Executive Director Brittany Vessely is available for interviews today. Any media wishing to include both sides of the reaction to the bill signing, can email her at bvessely@cocatholic.org.
Read the full letter from the bishops here.
