Point: Kristi Burton Brown

Restricting late-term abortions in Colorado shouldn’t be hard. Forty-three other states do it. A nationwide Gallop poll shows 74% of Americans believe there should be basic, commonsense limitations on late-term abortion. Only 18% of Democrats, 13% of Independents, and 6% of Republicans think third-trimester abortion should be legal. Passing Prop 115 — the Due Date Too Late initiative, which would limit abortion in Colorado to 22 weeks, with an exception for the mother’s life — is the popular thing to do.

But aside from public support, let’s talk about basic humanity. At 22 weeks, babies are fully formed human beings. They simply need time and the right environment to grow. Isn’t that what all children need? At 22 weeks, babies are kicking their mothers; they’re sucking their thumbs; they can hear mom’s voice and dad’s, too. At 22 weeks, babies can feel pain. That’s not an opinion or an emotional argument: it’s a scientific fact. It’s something any person concerned about basic human dignity cares about. For a late-term baby, abortion isn’t a painless process. It’s a forceful procedure designed to end a human life.

Even when we talk about tragic situations, where babies are diagnosed with fetal abnormalities or life-threatening conditions, we need to think about basic human dignity. In no other life situation do we get the choice to end another person’s life because she will suffer if we don’t kill her. Even if a father found out that his 2-year-old would die from a heart defect at the age of 5, he doesn’t get to end her life early. That’s not something we do to adults or children and we don’t have the right to do it to babies.

Modern medicine has come a long way, and medical professionals’ ability to treat human beings in need is amazing. Modern medicine is one of the reasons my husband didn’t die from the same cancer that took his grandfather’s life five decades ago. Modern medicine is one of the reasons that babies at 22 weeks are considered “viable.” Viability means these babies have the ability to survive outside their mother’s womb, given proper care. In fact, Britain has recognized 22 weeks as the new age of viability. The youngest surviving baby in the United States, born at 21 weeks, is now a healthy girl about to enter preschool. Most people agree that, when a baby can survive outside the womb, it shouldn’t be legal to abort her for any reason. But that’s what Colorado allows — abortion until the day of birth, with no restrictions, for any reason whatsoever.

That’s extreme.

One of the most reasonable things about Prop 115 is that it has an exception for the mother’s life. Her life matters, too. It also doesn’t criminalize women. If you’re not a woman, you have a woman in your life who you care about. Prop 115 wouldn’t make women criminals, no matter what choices they make. When late-term abortion ends in Colorado, the only people who will be subject to penalties are the people who commit an illegal abortion on another person. After all, no one should be allowed to do an illegal medical procedure on someone else’s body. That’s simply not safe.

Prop 115 is something people from all walks of life can agree on. The woman sponsoring this bill is a Hispanic immigrant; one of the authors is a Democrat medical doctor; a key strategist is Black; and yes, I’m a Republican attorney supporting it, too. We have atheists, Catholics, agnostics, Muslims, Christians, Jews, and many others joining us. Children in Colorado have been overlooked for too long. Let’s join 43 other states that agree late-term abortion, on demand, for any reason, is just too extreme.

Counter: Rev. Henderson

For the fourth time in a dozen years, Coloradans will face an abortion ban on the ballot. Voters in our state have consistently rejected abortion bans, trusting pregnant women, their families and their health care providers to make these complex and deeply personal medical decisions without political interference.

All people should have the freedom to decide whether and when to become a parent to raise children with dignity. My faith teaches me not to judge, but to have compassion for women faced with such a difficult, complicated, and personal decision. The best thing we can do is help these women feel safe and supported.

Religious freedom should call us to the common good, rather than harm women and their families in the name of God. The decision to terminate a pregnancy is morally complex, and people of different religious traditions, as well as people within the same tradition, hold varying views on this matter. It is important that we respect the religious freedom of each individual by protecting the right to make our faith-informed decisions about our reproductive lives.

The most troubling aspect of Proposition 115 is that it leaves no room for the complexity and uniqueness inherent to every pregnancy. It is, in fact, a back-door ban on abortion from the same politicians and single-issue groups who have tried repeatedly to wholly outlaw abortion in Colorado. The is to force a pregnant woman to remain pregnant in every case, except if an abortion is immediately required to save her life, with no exceptions for the woman’s health, fetal diagnosis, or even rape.

Make no mistake: abortion bans —whether in Alabama or Colorado —are political attacks. They are not about medicine, health, or safety. The writers of Proposition 115 are trying yet again to sneak a ban past voters using intentionally confusing, deceptive language.

Abortion later in pregnancy represents of all abortions, and it often happens because the woman is facing a complicated web of logistical and financial barriers that prevented her from getting an abortion earlier. Some women find out new information about a risk to their health or a serious fetal diagnosis later in their pregnancy. Others do not live near a clinic or have the money readily available to afford to visit one.

What’s more, we know that abortion rates don’t drop when abortion is criminalized. It just makes safe care harder and more expensive to access. When women can’t access the medical care they need in their own state, they are forced to travel long distances to reach it. No Coloradans should have to leave the state to access medical care because of politics.

In America, each person is able to follow their own conscience and faith tradition when making a decision about a complication or tough situation where they may need an abortion. As people of faith committed to compassion for all people, we should not impose our beliefs on someone else who is contemplating a profound and personal decision about abortion later in pregnancy. No one can know all of the unique circumstances each woman goes through during a pregnancy. Proposition 115 is asking you to impose a one-size-fits all mandate on someone else, when these decisions should be left to a woman, her family, and her doctor.

It is important that we are able to follow our own faith and beliefs when making decisions about pregnancy and parenting, especially when it comes to families who are dealing with a complicated health issue. This measure goes too far — so I urge you to vote no on Proposition 115 this November.

Kristi Burton Brown is a constitutional attorney and the vice chairman of the Colorado Republican Party. The Rev. Amanda Henderson is the executive director of the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado and an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ).

Kristi Burton Brown

Rev. Amanda Henderson