Over 130 healthcare professionals have pushed an initiative to ban late-term abortion in the state of Colorado.
The initiative, launched by the organization Due Date Too Late, is known as Proposition 115 and would make it illegal to have an abortion after 22 weeks of pregnancy, except in life-threatening emergencies for the mother.
In a letter released last Friday, the healthcare providers outline how a 22 week old fetus is "fully alive and fully human." In the letter, the medical professionals explained how at 22 weeks old, the fetus can "react to her mother's voice and touch... Can experience pain, likely more intensely than an older infant or child can... [and] can demonstrate sophisticated behaviors, including early social interaction, which has been observed with fetal co-twins in utero as early as 15 weeks."
The doctors continued to state in their letter, "There can be no equivocation that the fetus is a living, learning and actively participating human being. Every one of these lives has inherent value and dignity. They deserve to be embraced and protected by the citizens of Colorado, as equal members of our society."
Although Colorado does not have any current laws banning late term abortion, a very large amount of individuals would like to see one put into place. In order to qualify Proposition 115 for the November ballot, Due Date Too Late needed a little more than 124,000 signatures, however by June the secretary of state's office confirmed the campaign had acquired over 153,000 signatures.
While many wish to see this law passed, there are also those opposed to Proposition 115. A few days before the doctors released their letter in support of the campaign, approximately 120 faith leaders had banded together to release a statement of their own on the matter. In their letter posted to the website for Interfaith Alliance of Colorado on September 8th, the faith leaders stated that Proposition 115 "would allow politics to dictate personal health decisions that should be made by a woman and her family in consultation with her healthcare providers."
Clearly a very divisive topic in Colorado currently, the fate of the state's late-term abortion laws still seem to be up in the air, but will be decided in the ballot come November.
