Fort Collins City Council adopts resolution supporting abortion access
Fort Collins City Council adopted a resolution on Tuesday supporting access to abortion and expressing concern about the U.S. Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade.
Council adopted the resolution, which is a signal of support rather than a policy action, on a 5-2 vote after extensive public comment. About 30 people spoke against the resolution, and about a dozen people spoke in support of it. The “no” votes on the resolution were council members Shirley Peel and Susan Gutowsky.
The resolution consists of a list of statements about the court’s recent ruling in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization and its implications for access to reproductive health care. It also states that the city will support legislative efforts consistent with the statements. Among the statements in the resolution:
“The Dobbs decision takes from millions of Americans a fundamental, protected right to make their own reproductive health decisions, including whether and when to carry a pregnancy to term, and accordingly the right to bodily integrity and self-determination.”
“The effects of Dobbs will be experienced disproportionately by people of color, economically disadvantaged people and all others who face discrimination in the health care system.”
“Other states surrounding Colorado are poised to enact or have already enacted laws to restrict or deny abortions to women and girls, making Colorado a ‘safe haven’ state that will be impacted by an influx of out-of-state women and girls who are able to travel here to exercise the right to terminate a pregnancy.”
“The council further intends to take such steps as may be appropriate to protect the Colorado law preserving abortion access in Colorado and support legislative actions advancing the rights of women and girls in Colorado and upholding all persons’ rights to privacy, dignity and self-determination.”
Among the opposing commenters were former Mayor Ray Martinez and local “40 Days for Life” organizer Kristy Neeley, who leads abortion protests outside Planned Parenthood. Many of the opposing commenters argued it isn’t council’s place to make a statement on an issue that they consider controversial, and they said they didn’t see the point of the resolution since abortion remains legal in Colorado. The Colorado General Assembly recently codified the right to an abortion in state law.
More:Fort Collins anti-abortion, abortion-rights activists react to Roe v. Wade reversal
Opponents took issue with the city’s initial decision to place the resolution on council’s consent agenda, reserved for items deemed noncontroversial, which staff said was a mistake they’d rectified Monday morning.
“As a council, you're speaking for all the residents of Fort Collins, and I'm a resident who does not believe that the murder of innocent life is OK,” said resident Jennifer Wade, who spoke while holding her adopted son. “You don't speak for me.”
They also spoke in opposition of abortion access more generally.
“100% of all women aborted cannot speak tonight,” said Fort Collins resident Wendy Thomas, who went on to share claims that abortions are linked to a higher incidence of mental health issues and suicide. Those claims have been debunked by studies. “Let us as a community work on supporting all women and children in life.”
Former council member Melanie Potyondy spoke in support of the resolution, which she said aligns with the city’s stated values and priorities. She said it’s imperative that city leaders “state explicitly that reproductive rights are human rights.”
“If we value individuals’ and families’ rights to health and safety, to the pursuit of economic prosperity, to obtaining housing they can afford and to fully and equally accessing all our community has to offer, (then it’s critical) that we also affirm that we value their agency when it comes to making decisions about their bodies and their lives,” she said. “I recognize that it would be easier to not broach this topic. I applaud you for doing so, because it's necessary, and because your voices as leaders in our community matter.”
Council members who supported the resolution said they felt compelled to formally express their support of abortion access because the court had effectively remanded the issue to the states.
“When the Supreme Court said that this is up to the states, it became a city issue as well, because our state leaders look to their city representatives for what their constituents are thinking,” Mayor pro-tem Emily Francis said.
Mayor Jeni Arndt added that Colorado residents have repeatedly voted against efforts to restrict access to abortion. In 2020, 59% of Colorado voters rejected a ballot measure that would have banned abortions after 22 weeks (5.5 months). Sixty percent of Larimer County voters rejected the measure. She said she’s “fervently in support” of the sentiments expressed in the resolution
“I'm reticent to take up national politics in our in our municipal arena,” she said. “I would have preferred that this had been codified and stayed as a Supreme Court decision. Since it's not, it's here before us, and we can't ignore it. And I feel very, very fervently that we should not be told what we can take up and not take up. I will not avoid this conversation.”
Peel said she wouldn’t support the resolution because she thinks it violates the rights and bodily autonomy of “pre-born baby girls.” She said her youngest child resulted from an unplanned pregnancy.
“I think what's missing in this conversation is the voice of the children,” Peel said. “I understand my fellow council members wanting to protect women. I understand them wanting to give women the choice and the right, but at some point, we’ve got to have the discussion about the pre-born's rights as well.”
Gutowsky said she wouldn’t support the resolution because she doesn’t “believe that City Council needs to create a resolution on this particular issue.”
“The Dobbs decision turned this controversial issue over to the states, and Colorado has already codified the protected rights for women to make their own reproductive health decisions,” she said.
Council member Tricia Canonico shared that she’s had two abortions due to ectopic pregnancies, a life-threatening event that occurs when a fertilized egg implants outside the uterus. She also recounted the story of a friend who she said nearly died from complications in labor because the Catholic hospital where she was receiving care refused her access to an abortion.
“This is what's going to happen to women around this country,” Canonico said. “So to me, I want to protect women in our city, and I want to show that we support the actions that are happening at the state level here in Colorado.”
This article originally appeared on Fort Collins Coloradoan: Fort Collins City Council adopts resolution supporting abortion access
