Statement by VP of Public Affairs Cathy Alderman:
“Planned Parenthood Votes Colorado applauds yesterday’s 1-3 defeat of SB13-066, sponsored by Senator Owen Hill.
“SB-66 would have been a duplicative measure in Colorado, where state
law already prohibits public funds from being used to directly or
indirectly pay for an induced abortion or to reimburse anyone for an
induced abortion. The effort was extremely far-reaching and could have
banned hospitals and providers from providing care to either Medicaid or
Medicare patients simply for referring for abortion services.
“Additionally, efforts like this are thinly veiled attempts at
defunding Planned Parenthood in the state and denying women access to
the critical family planning services they require. Over 90 percent of
the work Planned Parenthood does is preventive medicine; SB 66, in an
attempt to defund Planned Parenthood could bar Planned Parenthood from
being reimbursed by Medicaid and other federal programs for providing
women with birth control, cancer screenings, HIV testing, and testing
and treatment for other STIs. The rejection of this measure reflects the
sentiment of the majority of Colorado voters, 64 percent of whom give a
favorable rating to Planned Parenthood.
“Planned Parenthood stands with our state lawmakers who voted against
this measure. Abortion is a complex decision for a woman and politicians
should not meddle in that decision by making it more difficult for
women to access the service, if and when they need it.”