Editor’s note: This story headline and image have been updated to reflect this is a national bill and not a bill at the state level.
DENVER (KDVR) — Colorado’s congressional delegation went back and forth on abortion rights this week, as the Republican-controlled House debated and eventually passed a new round of anti-abortion bills in the first week of the new Congress.
Our political panel discusses those bills and why they may not make it very far through Congress on our political program Colorado Point of View. Republicans passed the “Born-Alive” bill that would force health care providers to save the life of an infant, in the rare case that a baby is born alive during or after an attempted abortion.
“Sadly, only one Democrat voted for it and 210 Democrats voted against this bill and want to allow these babies to be left for dead,” bill co-sponsor, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colorado) said in a video posted on her social media.
“Apparently, my colleagues on the other side of the aisle think they know how abortion decisions should be made – not a woman and her doctor,” Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado) said on the House floor in opposition to the “Born Alive” bill.
None of these bills will likely make it through the Democratic-controlled Senate. So, our political panel discussed whether this was just political theater by House Republicans or a sign of things to come in the house.
“It’s interesting because there’s already a law on the books that requires doctors to take care of infants in that exact case,” Democratic strategist and political analyst Andy Boian said. “So, Republicans have spent the first week wasting time, typical.”
“This isn’t something that’s an extreme bill on abortion,” Republican strategist and political analyst Michael Fields said. “If you remember, Democrats under Nancy Pelosi passed bill after bill to protect abortion that was going to fail in the Senate anyway.”
You can watch their full debate, plus a discussion on a potential ballot proposal to give TABOR money to public education, on Colorado Point of View this Saturday at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:30 a.m. on Colorado’s Very Own Channel 2.