Words matter. Representation matters. And to the great disappointment of the Democratic Women’s Caucus of Colorado, our governor failed to demonstrate an understanding of that in a series of recent public comments and actions.
While we know that Gov. Jared Polis is a thoughtful and compassionate man who cares about the people of Colorado, as our state’s highest elected leader, it is incumbent upon him to carefully choose words that reflect his understanding of the real issues those identifying as women, which comprise 49.2% of his constituents, face.
Several recent incidents have given us pause. The first was at an event to celebrate the election of Mayor Yemi Mobolade in Colorado Springs. The governor recognized Focus on the Family for the good work they do in the community.
Focus on the Family has actively worked to undermine progress on values our Caucus holds dear, including comprehensive reproductive health care and the rights of all people to express themselves as individuals and to be free to love who they choose.
Then a few weeks ago, in an appearance on CNN, in response to a question about how he would handle someone challenging the legitimacy of his marriage, the governor chose to address abortion rights and declared that Democrats don’t believe that “abortion is good” adding that “it’s bad” and we need to minimize the number of abortions.
This statement is deeply troubling and not consistent with the right to make private medical decisions, a right that the Colorado voters have affirmed over and over again. Abortion is health care and should not be subject to politicians’ moral judgment.
Chemotherapy and radiation are unpleasant medical procedures; we wish we didn’t need them. But they are necessary health care procedures. Reducing the need for abortion through sex education in schools and accessible and affordable birth control is important, but vilifying abortion creates a harmful narrative and denies women the opportunity to make their own decisions about their bodies. The governor’s comments are unnecessarily stigmatizing.
While we were still contemplating these egregious statements, a new interview with Gov. Polis ran on 9News on August 9. In this interview, in response to a question about the flawed rollout of universal preschool, he accused parents complaining about it of just wanting “free childcare.”
All parents understand the struggles of finding and affording childcare. The number of women in the workforce has risen dramatically in the last several decades, but a disproportionate percentage of working women are still accepting underemployment and sacrificing upward mobility, and even careers, because of the difficulty in finding predictable, affordable childcare. The hidden labor of having children, all the hours that go into planning and finding childcare, is a toll extracted from the women of Colorado, whether they have a parenting partner or not.
Lastly, to avoid a veto, Polis required during this year’s legislative session that lawmakers send House Bill 190, dealing with deceptive trade practices in pregnancy-related services, to the Colorado Medical Board, the State Board of Pharmacy, and the State Board of Nursing to review and promulgate rules.
The current draft rules leave the burden on patients to file a complaint and do not recognize that the law we passed was calling abortion pill reversal unprofessional conduct. In fact, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists does not believe providers should prescribe this as the efficacy is not supported by science. These boards have skirted their assignment and, in fact, made it worse by allowing this unethical practice as long as it involves informed consent.
Women were instrumental in electing Polis. It seems that the quest for equality has progressed, but we continue to fight for equal pay, fair work practices and real power in the Capitol and other workplaces.
Our numbers in the legislature and in positions of leadership outside the Capitol may seem to indicate our influence is growing. But numbers don’t mean power, and it is extremely clear that when men in leadership don’t truly grasp the issues we face, we still have a lot of work to do.
We have come to expect the suppression of women’s rights by red states and extreme politicians pushing divisive politics. We expect more solidarity from our allies.
Rep. Lisa Cutter represents Colorado House District 25. Sen. Julie Gonzales represents Colorado Senate District 34 and Rep. Meg Froelich represents House District 3. They are members of the Colorado Democratic Women’s Caucus.
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