Democratic Colorado Sen. Nick Hinrichsen says he regrets 2018 donation to pro-life group
Incumbent District 3 Colorado Sen. Nick Hinrichsen made a $50 donation in 2018 to A Caring Pregnancy Center, a Pueblo-based anti-abortion clinic. When asked by the Chieftain about the donation, he said if he knew more about the clinic at the time, he would not have made it.
Hinrichsen told the Chieftain at the time of his donation he was under the assumption that ACPC was providing free ultrasounds to pregnant women and did not thoroughly research the organization.
“My naïve belief at the time was that an organization that pretended to be a legitimate medical organization offering free ultrasounds to women in crisis pregnancy situations is pretty innocuous. I've since realized that's not the case and that there are many other organizations like that,” Hinrichsen said. “I think it's disgusting. I wish I was better informed at the time.”
2022 election guide: What to know about Pueblo County's top races and ballot issues
Crisis pregnancy centers aim to help pregnant people in need with free testing and ultrasounds, but often discourage patients from seeking abortion care. These centers outnumber abortion clinics in Colorado by more than two to one.
The ACPC website says that the Pueblo clinic was founded in 1984 “by a group of concerned citizens who wanted to provide alternatives to women considering abortion.”
Hinrichsen, an Army veteran, was previously registered as a Republican. He switched his party affiliation 10 times between September 2015 and January 2016, at which point he decided to leave the GOP because of the growing influence of then-presidential candidate Donald Trump.
Both candidates in Pueblo’s state Senate race have swapped parties at least 10 times
As a Republican, he recalled that he was “moderate” on the issue of abortion, but said his views changed after speaking with women and medical professionals.
In his short stint as a state legislator after being appointed to replace Leroy Garcia in February, Hinrichsen was one of many sponsors of Colorado pro-abortion legislation.
As other Republican-led state legislatures in the country were passing laws restricting abortion rights anticipating the Supreme Court overturning the 50-year precedent of Roe v. Wade, Colorado Democrats passed a law that enshrines the “fundamental right to make reproductive health care decisions free from government interference” into state law.
Colorado and New Mexico are two of the few non-coastal states west of the Mississippi River that do not restrict abortion access.
“It's self-evident that this radical legislation is simply about controlling women; it's not about faith, it's about the government telling women what they can (or cannot) do with their bodies,” Hinrichsen said in a follow-up statement.
Hinrichsen added that he was “proud” that Colorado voters have struck down multiple ballot questions limiting abortion access in the past five years.
"Since becoming senator, I believe my record speaks for itself; I'm proud to have been a co-sponsor of (the Colorado Reproductive Health Equity Act). I’m proud to have a 100% voting record for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains and be unanimously endorsed by the reproductive justice community. ... I trust women to make their own health care decisions," Hinrichsen said.
Varela, Hinrichsen fight for Senate seat in one of Colorado's most competitive races
Republican candidate Stephen Varela bucks the party platform on abortion
The official platform of the Republican Party is anti-abortion, but Hinrichsen’s Republican opponent for the District 3 state Senate seat has a different opinion.
“We assert the sanctity of human life and affirm that the unborn child has a fundamental right to life which cannot be infringed,” says the national party platform from 2016, re-adopted in 2020 and linked on the websites of the Pueblo County Republican Party as well as the Colorado GOP.
Varela’s campaign spokesperson Alan Philp said that the party does not speak for individual candidates and “the candidates speak for themselves.”
“Stephen’s position is that no change should be made without going to the voters,” Philp said.
Varela declined to share his personal opinion about abortion to the Chieftain, saying that voters should decide.
Varela also has a history of amending his party registration: he’s switched parties at least 18 times since 2011 and was a registered Democrat most recently from March 2019 to February 2021.
Colorado Republicans are hoping that a potential Varela win could help them regain control of the state Senate, where Democrats have held the majority since 2019.
Anna Lynn Winfrey covers politics for the Pueblo Chieftain. She can be reached at awinfrey@gannett.com or on Twitter, @annalynnfrey.
This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Colorado Sen. Nick Hinrichsen regrets donating to a pro-life group
