FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – APRIL 4, 2023
Media Contact: Aurea Bolaños Perea,
Directora de Comunicaciones Estratégicas
aurea@colorlatina.org
COLOR REFLECTS A YEAR AFTER THE SIGNING OF THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH EQUITY ACT (RHEA) INTO LAW AND THE WORK WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION
DENVER, CO- Today, we celebrate the one-year anniversary of the Reproductive Health Equity Act (RHEA) being signed into law. RHEA ensures 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; and a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent rights under the laws of Colorado.
Soon after RHEA’s signing, we witnessed the U.S. Supreme Court declared that the constitutional right to abortion, upheld for nearly a half-century through Roe v. Wade, no longer exists. This decision then forced a public health crisis for over a dozen states where abortion and others forms of reproductive healthcare became illegal and criminalized. And those who continue to suffer the most are the millions of people who are already marginalized from equitable reproductive healthcare in the first place.
According to the poll released through the Colorado Latino Policy Agenda, we found that over 68% of Latinos in our state want to see their reproductive freedoms protected and free from government interference.
“After the Supreme Court ruling to overturn Roe, we knew we couldn’t stop at RHEA,” said Katherine Riley, Policy Director at COLOR. “We came together and thought critically about the needs of our communities and the gaps in reproductive healthcare access for communities of color. That is why COLOR, alongside our partners at Cobalt, New Era Colorado, and Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains created the Safe Access to Protected Health Care package.”
“For twenty-five years, COLOR has led proactive reproductive justice advocacy, and organized for health equity across the state,” said Dusti Gurule, President and CEO of COLOR. “And just this weekend, our bill to prohibit deceptive advertising from Anti-Abortion Centers (SB23-190) passed third readings in the House and is headed to the Governor’s desk. These centers target communities of color, even while RHEA exists as the law of this state. Their harmful and predatory practices will not be tolerated – this is reproductive justice in action.”
We know that millions of people across the country continue to face uncertainties when it comes to accessing safe and dignified reproductive and gender-affirming care.COLOR will do everything in our power to continue to advocate for communities of color who live at the intersections of these issues. If we’re not uplifting and working towards equity for our most vulnerable communities, there is no reproductive justice.
On April 27th, we will celebrate our 25th anniversary and invite our community partners and advocates to join us for a fun night with live music from Grupo Kaoba and DJ Cyn. We will also have unique t-shirts and merchandise for sale from Liberal Jane to celebrate this historic milestone!
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Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR) is a community-rooted nonprofit organization that works to enable Latinx individuals and their families to lead safe, healthy, and self-determined lives.
