Category Archives: Reproductive Freedom

11/30/15 "ACLU of Colorado stands with Planned Parenthood and the people of Colorado Springs. Our hearts go out to everyone involved and to their loved ones. We are grateful to the law enforcement and Planned Parenthood personnel who prevented this terrible tragedy from becoming even worse. And we are in continued awe of the dedication of clinic staff throughout the country who came to work today, like everyday, to make sure that women can get the care they need." | Read More

Effort To Ban Abortions and Restrict Contraception Defeated for the Third Time  11/4/14 DENVER - The voters of Colorado have rejected – for the third time since 2008 – a far-reaching constitutional amendment designed to ban all abortions in Colorado, including in cases of rape, incest and when the health of the mother is at risk. Amendment 67 would have gone so far as to restrict access to commonly used forms of birth control, including the Pill and IUDs -- and ban in-vitro fertilization.... | Read More

Sept. 17, 2014 DENVER - Saying “it goes too far and is too extreme,” 82 Colorado faith leaders today joined together in united opposition to Amendment 67, the proposed constitutional amendment to ban all abortions, including in cases of rape, incest and when the health of the mother is at risk. Among many of its far-reaching consequences, Amendment 67 would also restrict access to certain forms of birth control, and restrict access to in-vitro fertilization for women who want to have a family. “This.... | Read More

July 22, 2014 The coalition opposing Amendment 67 kicked off its statewide campaign today, vowing to once again defeat efforts to ban all abortions in Colorado, including in cases of rape and incest and when the health of a woman is at risk. With the Colorado Capitol serving as the backdrop, speakers warned of the dangerous, far-reaching consequences of Amendment 67. “Amendment 67 truly is an attack on family planning, an attack on a woman’s access to health care, an attack on the privacy.... | Read More

Employers Allowed to Use Religious Beliefs to Refuse to Comply With Law Requiring Contraception Coverage June 30, 2014 WASHINGTON – The U.S. Supreme Court today ruled in favor of closely-held corporations that sought an exemption to a federal law requiring employers to provide insurance coverage for contraception. The owners of the plaintiff companies – Hobby Lobby, an Oklahoma-based craft supply store chain, and Conestoga Wood Specialties, a Pennsylvania furniture company – cited religious.... | Read More

Bill was heard by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on April 10, 2014 and was passed out of committee 4-3 Thank you Madam Chair and members of the committee.  My name is Stephen Meswarb.  I am the Deputy Director of the ACLU of Colorado, and I am here to speak on behalf of the ACLU in support of Senate Bill 175. The ACLU has consistently advocated for policies that support women’s decision making, advance women’s health and well-being, and ensure strong, healthy families..... | Read More

November 13, 2012 Last Saturday's Denver Post featured a column by ACLU of Colorado Executive Director, Nathan Woodliff-Stanley, written in response to the Catholic Archdiocese of Denver's full page ad that appeared the previous weekend. The Catholic Archdiocese's ad claimed that the Affordable Care Act requirement that employer-provided health insurance include contraception violated religious liberty, an idea that Woodliff-Stanley says "distorts the meaning of religious liberty.".... | Read More

ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Challenge Dangerous New Parental Notification Law FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE December 22, 1998 BOULDER, CO -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado, along with the ACLU national office and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, filed suit in Boulder District Court today to prevent the enforcement of Colorado’s Parental Notification Act (Amendment 12). If enforced, this law would require physicians, on pain of criminal and civil penalty, to notify a minor's.... | Read More

ACLU, Planned Parenthood, Announce New Court Order Suspending Enforcement of Colorado Parental Notice Statute Throughout Colorado FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 4, 1999 The American Civil Liberties Union of Colorado (ACLU) and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains announced today that a federal district court judge signed an order assuring that the Colorado Parental Notice Statute will not be enforced anywhere in the state until a final judgment on the merits is issued in the challenge.... | Read More

While the pundits debate the aftermath of the midterm elections, it’s worth noting that there was one bright spot, right here in Colorado. For the second time in two years, our voters rejected a ballot initiative that could have seriously threatened the ability of women and families to make private health care decisions. And the victory was decisive: 71 to 29 percent said no to Amendment 62, which would have not only prohibited abortions but could have been used to block stem cell research.... | Read More