News

DENVER, CO, April 17, 2014 (LifeSiteNews.com) — A bill that would have prevented any pro-life laws from being enacted in Colorado is no longer being considered by the state's Senate.

Described as being “spiked” by The Denver Post, Senate Bill 175 — the “Reproductive Health Freedom Act” — had garnered major public opposition, most notably by the Archdiocese of Denver. It passed through the relevant committee last week, and was considered likely to pass the state Senate by a one-vote margin this week.

However, a prayer vigil and protest led by Archbishop Samuel Aquila brought hundreds to the steps of the Capitol on Tuesday afternoon, and one undecided Democrat delayed the vote from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Image

On Wednesday, that Democrat, Sen. John Kefalas, was still undecided, and sponsor Sen. Andy Kerr decided not to push the bill. Kerr blamed “delay and filibustering tactics [that] were going to become the absolute rule of the day here over the next three weeks over SB 175.”

The measure, which would have banned anything that “denies or interferes with an individual's reproductive health care decisions,” drew criticism by Republicans that Kerr was only pushing the legislation for re-election purposes. Furthermore, according to Sen. Bernie Herpin, “it's a solution in search of a problem.”

“There is no one, no evidence, that has said there's a denial of things like contraception to women in Colorado,” the Post quoted Herpin as saying.

Contrary to Kerr's stated reasons for killing the bill, Senate Minority Leader Bill Cadman said that Democrats simply “ran into … a firestorm of public dissent. Period. A firestorm of public opposition to this political hatchet job is what Senate Bill 175 was. They got called on it.”

Jenny Kraska, executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference, said, “Congratulations to the people of Colorado that made their voices heard on this issue. God heard you, and your prayers were answered, and your legislators heard you.”
 
“If you had asked everyone when this bill was introduced a month ago if it would have passed, everyone would have said 'yes.' The Colorado Democrats are so pro-abortion, and we thought that this would fly right through.” 
 
“This is my eighth session in Colorado, and I've never seen anything like this,” said Kraska.

LifeSiteNews has reached out to Kerr for comment on the decision to not push SB 175 but did not hear back by press time.