Colorado organizers who sought to put an anti-abortion initiative on the ballot this November failed to gather enough signatures in time to qualify.
The proposed measure from the Colorado Life Initiative sought to declare "a living human child must not be intentionally dismembered, mutilated, poisoned, scalded, starved, stabbed, given toxic injections known to cause death, left to die of the elements for lack of warmth or nutrition, used for experimentation, or treated in any way inhumanely to cause intentional physical harm leading to intended death or intended to cause disability to otherwise healthy and functioning parts of the body of a child."
For the purposes of the group's initiative, a "living human child" exists "from the moment human life biologically begins at conception," according to its website.
The group needed to collect 124,238 signatures by the April 18 deadline. Faye Barnhart, co-sponsor of the measure, told CBS News that the group had collected "tens of thousands of signatures," but fell short.
In a press release, the Colorado Life Initiative blamed abortion opponents they deemed "ProLife In Name Only" — even calling them "PLINOs" — as well as insufficient publicity and recruitment for its failure to obtain enough valid signatures.
Barnhart expressed her determination to continue working on the issue and aims to propose another ballot measure in the upcoming election.
On the other hand, an abortion rights organization called Coloradans for Reproductive Freedom has shown more success in collecting signatures. They are pushing for a constitutional amendment that guarantees the right to abortion to be included on the ballot. The group submitted 230,000 signatures to the secretary of state's office for validation on Thursday.
While abortion is currently legal in Colorado, the proposed constitutional amendment on abortion access would safeguard this right and supersede a 1984 law that restricts health insurance coverage for abortion care for "public employees and people on public insurance."
Abortion may be featured on the ballot in over 10 states this November, and initiatives supporting the procedure have been successful in every state where it has been on the ballot since Roe v. Wade was overturned, removing federal protections for abortion rights.
Although the decision on abortion has been returned to the states, it has also become a significant aspect of President Biden's reelection campaign. Former President Donald Trump stated that the issue should be left to the states to decide.
In a recent survey conducted by CBS News, it was found that 57% of Americans are of the opinion that the Supreme Court's decision to overturn Roe versus Wade is detrimental to the country. The majority of these individuals believe that abortion should be legal in most or all cases. The poll also indicated that the topic of abortion serves as a more significant motivator for Democrats compared to Republicans. Specifically, women, younger voters, and individuals with college degrees—groups that typically support the legalization of abortion—expressed that the abortion issue will play a crucial role in their voting decisions.
