Colorado distinguished itself as one of the states that guaranteed access to abortion and reproductive healthcare in state law in 2022, while the federally recognized right to abortions crumbled when the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
That protection is in statute, but organizers in Colorado have launched a campaign to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution and allow public employees to have abortion care covered by their health insurance.
Starting in Denver, a statewide coalition launched a signature-gathering campaign on what would have been the 51st anniversary of the original Roe v. Wade decision with several events throughout the state.
Local organizers and officials gathered at Pueblo’s Blo Back Gallery on Jan. 23 to gather some of the first signatures and rally for abortion rights.
Why organizers are trying to protect abortion rights in the state constitution
The gathering at Blo Back Gallery on Tuesday followed a march in downtown Pueblo and was emceed by local drag queen Tara T. Pantease. This was part of the second annual “Bigger than Roe” gathering organized by Pueblo Pro-Choice, a local advocacy group that formed after the fall of Roe and mobilized opposition to the failed anti-abortion city council ordinance in late 2022.