DENVER (KDVR) — The impact of a leaked draft opinion suggesting the Supreme Court may be poised to overturn Roe v. Wade is rippling across the country, leaving states to prepare for the eventuality that abortion access will be patchwork across the United States.
Chief Justice John Roberts confirmed the authenticity of the draft Tuesday and ordered an investigation into what he called an “egregious breach of trust.”
Now the focus shifts to which states have or will codify a woman’s right to an abortion, and which states will outlaw the procedure within its borders.
Colorado solidified a woman’s right to an abortion when Gov. Jared Polis signed a bill into law nearly one month ago. The bill states that individuals have a fundamental right to use or refuse contraception and that every pregnant person has the right to continue their pregnancy and give birth or have an abortion.
The bill also states that “a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus does not have independent or derivative rights” under Colorado state law.
In the fall of 2021, Colorado abortion providers noticed a spike in women driving thousands of miles to get abortion procedures done in Denver after Texas passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the country.