HB22-1279, the Reproductive Health Equity Act, sponsored by Representative Froelich, House Majority Leader Esgar, and Senator Gonzales passed through both the House Health & Insurance Committee and 2nd Reading in the House last week. Today, it passed its 3rd and final reading in the House of Representatives.
This bill would establish that:
● Every individual has the fundamental right to choose or refuse contraception.
● Every individual who becomes pregnant has a fundamental right to choose to continue a pregnancy and give birth or to have an abortion.
● A fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the laws of the state.
This critical legislation ensures that the rights of all Coloradans are protected, specifically the right to healthcare - including contraception and abortion. Everyone deserves to choose what happens to the their body. Everyone deserves to make their own healthcare decisions and to involve whomever they see fit in that decision, without the government’s involvement. In our communities of color, including the Black community, we lack access to adequate healthcare, and this bill is one crucial step towards addressing that inequity.
The committee hearing for this bill lasted an unprecedented 13 hours - from 2:00pm on March 9th until 3:40am on March 10th. 2nd Reading in the House lasted right around 24 hours - from Friday morning March 11th until Saturday morning March 12th. Read more about the committee hearing here and here and more about 2nd Reading here. During the many hours of debate during 2nd reading, I spoke in support of the bill - see my remarks in the video below.
I'm so proud of my fellow Democratic colleagues for fighting tirelessly in support of this critical legislation. I am especially proud of the bill's sponsors for their fierce advocacy and commitment to the work of protecting reproductive rights for all Coloradans.
RHEA is now headed to the Colorado State Senate. Follow @RepMegFroe, @SenadoraJulie, @Dlesgar, @COHouseDem, @COSenDem, #RHEA4CO, #RHEA #coleg, and #copolitics on Twitter to stay updated.