It has been 44 years since the U.S. Supreme Court decided the landmark Roe v. Wade case. Yet women and men must continue to fight for their reproductive rights, including abortion, the American Civil Liberties Union said Saturday in Durango.
“Some battles just never stay won,” said Denise Maes, public policy director for ACLU of Colorado. “We would have thought 44 years ago, with Roe v. Wade, it was settled. And it was obviously for a long period of time, but there’s been little chipping away and chipping away and chipping away.”
Maes provided a rundown of bills introduced this year in the Colorado Legislature – some considered favorable, others not – having to do with reproductive rights. About 100 residents attended the “Road Show for Reproductive Health” on Saturday morning at the Durango Public Library.
The ACLU is holding six meetings across the state to remind residents of their rights to reproductive health while listening for concerns about access. Durango was the fifth stop on the circuit. Other cities visited include Grand Junction, Pueblo, Cañon City, Westminster and Boulder.
Most people think of abortion rights when they hear the ACLU speak of reproductive care, Maes said, but that is only one component of the health care universe. It also applies to contraception, pregnancy assistance and sex education, she said. During her tour, she has heard from residents in Grand Junction and Cañon City – two of the more conservative cities – that access to reproductive health care can be difficult.
“One of the things we’ve learned in doing this road show is that even though there may be a right, access to it is not very easy,” Maes said. “That is particularly true in rural areas or places where they only have one hospital, and it may be a Catholic hospital, for example, that doesn’t offer those sort of services.”
Some audience members took issue with Mercy Regional Medical Center, the largest health care provider in Southwest Colorado, for its position on certain reproductive issues, which is guided by its Catholic mission. But others came to its defense, including Dr. Richard Grossman, who practiced there for almost 40 years, saying the hospital is “quietly supportive of Planned Parenthood” and “much more reasonable than the bishops are.”
Maes said three anti-abortion or anti-reproductive bills were introduced earlier this year that were defeated in 6-5 committee votes – a reminder that reproductive rights are under attack. If voters stop paying attention, those rights could disappear.
“It is amazing to me that in 2017, we are still dealing with these things,” Maes said.
On the national stage, President Donald Trump has expressed his desire to fill the Supreme Court with justices who will overturn Roe v. Wade, but the ACLU of Colorado wants to make sure Colorado doesn’t go down that road.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm and a lot more people who are civically engaged than perhaps pre-election,” Maes said. “We just want to keep that momentum going. ... Regardless of what happens in the national arena, it is important that Colorado remain a civil liberties safe zone, and that access to abortion and reproductive health care always be available here.”
shane@durangoherald.com
