Senate Expands Access to Reproductive Healthcare

Bill to repeal restrictions on abortion care for the most vulnerable Coloradans passes upper chamber

DENVER, CO - Today, the Senate passed SB21-142, a bill sponsored by Senators Brittany Pettersen and Kerry Donovan that would allow sexual violence survivors on Medicaid to access all reproductive care options closer to home by removing restrictions on the types of buildings where care is covered as well as physician requirement barriers.

“Under current law, victims of sexual violence are forced to travel long distances in order to receive abortion care,” said Senator Pettersen (D-Lakewood). “But this bill ensures that survivors of rape and incest have access to the health services they need in Colorado, no matter their income level or where they live.”

“If you become pregnant as a result of sexual violence, you should not have to travel across the entire state to just one specific location in Denver to receive medical care. Rural sexual violence survivors are entitled to the same care and access as victims in the metro area,” said Senator Donovan (D-Vail). "This bill ensures that in the most traumatizing of times, women are supported rather than burdened."

Current law only allows public funding to be used to pay for abortion care in certain health care facilities – generally hospitals – and requires that they only be performed by a physician – despite the fact that safe abortion care is offered in several out-patient care facilities across the state, including primary care offices, OBGYN offices, abortion clinics, etc. and are routinely performed by other kinds of certified healthcare providers like nurse practitioners.

These restrictions solely and exclusively impact Medicaid-eligible sexual violence survivors because people with private insurance are not subject to facility or physician-only restrictions when seeking abortion care. As a result, sexual violence survivors on Medicaid have no options for care outside the Denver metro area. By repealing this restriction, this bill would expand this coverage to Medicaid recipients across the state, and allow survivors of sexual violence to seek the care they need closer to home.

The legislation now moves to the House for further consideration. Information and updates regarding the bill can be found at leg.colorado.gov/bills/sb21-142.