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DENVER, CO – The House today advanced legislation on a preliminary vote to protect Coloradans’ rights and freedoms by strengthening legal protections for emergency reproductive health care.
SB25-130 would safeguard emergency care for pregnant patients since the Trump administration announced they were no longer enforcing the federal Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA).
“Federal protections for reproductive healthcare have been deeply eroded by the Trump administration, and it’s our responsibility to protect life-saving emergency care for pregnant people in Colorado,” said Rep. Meg Froelich, D-Englewood. “This bill ensures that emergency providers have the clarity they need to do their job and save lives. This bill rules out all ambiguity so pregnant people can receive the life-saving emergency care they need, including an abortion. Abortion is safe, legal and protected in Colorado.”
“Our state has been a leader in abortion care because Coloradans understand that access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care saves lives,” said Rep. Yara Zokaie, D-Fort Collins. “As the federal EMTALA law crumbles under the Trump administration, this bill stands up to protect life-saving emergency care for pregnant patients. In states where reproductive health care is restricted, pregnant people are being denied emergency abortion or miscarriage care until it’s too late; we won't let that happen in Colorado.”
SB25-130 would ensure emergency access for pregnant people who need abortion or miscarriage care without discrimination based on financial need or the type of care required. It would also create clarity for providers by defining employment protections for individual health care providers, treatment log requirements, and guidelines for transfers and discharges.
The federal EMTALA is a nearly 40-year-old law that requires hospitals to provide emergency medical treatment, including abortion and miscarriage care, regardless of ability to pay. However, the Supreme Court’s dismissal of Moyle vs United States has allowed states to deny pregnant people abortion care in life-threatening emergencies. In addition, the Trump administration recently dropped the federal lawsuit against Idaho for refusing to provide abortion care in the emergency room.
In response to these federal actions, this bill would ensure that life-saving emergency care will be protected in Colorado.
The federal landscape surrounding abortion care has been under attack. States with strict abortion bans argue that their state laws override their federal EMTALA law. Without access to care, pregnant people risk miscarriage, sepsis, or even death.