Colorado Democrats are attempting to sell taxpayer-funded abortion as “good fiscal policy.”
The state is on the verge of passing legislation that would allow Medicaid to cover abortion costs after voters passed a constitutional amendment enshrining a right to the procedure and removing a restriction on taxpayer dollars funding it in November. Proponents of the bill are touting a fiscal analysis claiming covering the cost of abortion would be cheaper than covering the cost of childbirth.
“A birth is more expensive than an abortion,” Colorado House Speaker and bill co-sponsor Julie McCluskie said at a committee hearing Tuesday. “Ultimately, we do achieve a cost savings because of the averted births that will not take place.”
Colorado already reimburses abortion costs in cases of rape, incest and life endangerment, the fiscal note says. The analysis projects the passing of Medicaid-funded abortion would skyrocket abortions, or “averted births,” as it refers to them, by 30%.
Opponents of the bill, such as Colorado Catholic Conference executive director Brittany Vessely, say the analysis “drastically underestimates the cost of abortion, especially late abortion,” according to the hearing.
“Seriously, the bill’s sponsors are saying that if more babies die by abortion it will be cheaper for the state,” Dr. Catherine Wheeler, a pro-life OB-GYN and former abortion provider, told the committee.
Many states have expanded abortion access since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, with several states enshrining a right to the procedure into their state constitutions. Growing access to the abortion pill has caused a drastic uptick in women choosing to end their unborn babies’ lives.
McCluskie did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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