Republican Colorado gubernatorial candidate says he would likely sign abortion ban

Republican Colorado gubernatorial candidate Greg Lopez said in an interview published Wednesday he would likely sign an abortion ban as governor if one was passed by the state legislature.

When first asked if he would sign such a ban, Lopez told Next 9News it would depend on the language of the bill that is brought to his desk. 

“The language of the legislation is what the governor needs to look at,” Lopez said. “I would have to read the bill very carefully.”

If a bill made it through the state legislature, Lopez concluded, “Odds are I would sign it.” 

The statement comes days after a draft majority opinion from the Supreme Court that would overturn Roe v. Wade, the landmark decision that established the federal right to abortion, was leaked by Politico.

Although the decision could still change before the high court issues its final opinion, which it is expected to do by late June, the draft ruling as released this week would effectively end federal abortion protections and shift the authority over abortion access to the states.

Ahead of a coming Supreme Court decision on the issue, a number of states have moved to enact or introduce laws to restrict or expand access to abortion.

Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) in April signed legislation saying women have the “fundamental right” to choose if they have an abortion and banning state or local entities from trying to restrict abortion access in the state.

“Today I signed into law House Bill 22-1279, ‘Reproductive Health Equity Act’ … which codifies a person’s fundamental right to make reproductive health-care decisions free from government interference,” Polis said at the time.

Meanwhile, another Colorado Republican gubernatorial candidate, Heidi Ganahl, has also said she would support an abortion ban. 

In March, she expressed her opposition to the Reproductive Health Equity Act and supported a plan that would ban abortion in the state through a ballot initiative, the Colorado Times Recorder reported. 

“I agree we should absolutely put this forward to the voters and shout from the rooftops, ‘This is not OK. We will not be the most extreme state in this United States of America. We will protect the unborn.’ It is not OK that this is happening right under our noses in Denver at the Capitol,” she stated at the time, per the outlet.