This story by Sara Wilson appeared on Colorado Newsline on April 24, 2025.
Colorado Governor Jared Polis on Thursday signed a pair of bills into law that safeguard access to abortion and gender-affirming care as the national landscape grows hostile to such policies.
“Colorado is a state where people can look for the health care they want, and they can trust that in Colorado, health care is a very personal and private decision, not the business of the government,” the Democrat said during a bill signing ceremony in his office at the Capitol.
Senate Bill 25-129 builds on a 2023 shield law that protects out-of-state patients who come to Colorado for care and the providers who treat them. There have been multiple cases this year of states that outlaw abortion pursuing criminal charges against out-of-state doctors who prescribe abortion medication via telehealth.
The bill allows providers to exclude their names from medication abortion prescription labels to protect their privacy. It also requires any subpoena requests to include an affirmation that it does not pertain to reproductive or gender-affirming care.
“There’s fear from our health care providers about being able to provide the best health care they can and use their skills. There’s fear from patients accessing care, especially if they’re traveling from out of state. There’s fear from parents and counselors. And we hope that this bill gives hope,” said bill sponsor Sen. Faith Winter, a Broomfield Democrat.
Since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022 overturned of Roe v. Wade, which guaranteed a constitutional right to abortion, Colorado has become an island of reproductive health care as surrounding states criminalize abortion. In 2023, about 29% of people who got an abortion in Colorado were from another state, according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. That share was a little over 10% in 2019.
Insurance for abortion
Polis also signed Senate Bill 25-183, which implements Amendment 79, a constitutional update that Colorado voters approved in 2024. It puts the right to abortion into the state constitution and removes a ban on using public funds to cover abortion care. Beginning next year, state employees and people on Medicaid will have the care covered by their insurance. Amendment 79 passed with about 62% of the vote.
“By signing these bills into law, Governor Polis reaffirms Colorado’s role as a national leader for reproductive justice and freedom,” Dusti Gurule, the president of Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, which co-chaired the Amendment 79 effort, said in a statement. “But this achievement is truly a reflection of community power. Thousands of Coloradans from across the state organized, advocated, and mobilized to fight for these bills that allow them to lead safer, healthier, and more self-determined lives.”
Another bill modeled after federal standards for emergency medical care, including abortion, passed the Senate and has been introduced in the House but does not have a committee hearing scheduled. The legislative session ends on May 7.