Gov. Bill Owens on Thursday vetoed a bill that would have made it easier for women to get emergency contraception.
The rejection of House Bill 1212 is the second time in two years Owens has disappointed women’s health groups and elated abortion foes.
This year’s bill would have given pharmacists an unprecedented power in Colorado – the ability to dispense medication without a physician’s prescription.
In his veto message, Owens said the bill “strays radically from the accepted norms of medicine” by shifting prescribing power to pharmacists. He added that the medication is currently “widely available” with a physician’s prescription.
He also said the bill would have enabled minors to “use emergency contraception as a form of regular birth control without a doctor’s consultation.”
Owens’ concerns are consistent with opponents’ views of the bill.
“We are pleased the governor recognized the problems in this piece of legislation,” said Tim Dore, executive director of the Colorado Catholic Conference, which opposed the bill.
Backers of emergency contraception said Owens valued politics more than women’s health.
“This is the second year in a row that the governor has turned his back on women’s health,” said state Sen. Jennifer Veiga, D-Denver. “Next year, perhaps we will have the benefit of a governor who will not put politics ahead of women’s health.”
Legislative efforts to make emergency contraception more widely available have failed for the past four years.
Sen. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood, said two bills were killed by Senate committees when the Republicans controlled the chamber.
Last year, Owens vetoed a bill sponsored by Boyd that would have required health care providers to notify rape victims about how to obtain the pills.
That bill would have applied to all providers, including Catholic hospitals, which argued that it would have violated their freedom of religion.
Some opponents of emergency contraception say that the morning-after pill can have the same effect as an abortion by flushing a fertilized egg out of a woman’s body, thus destroying a potential human life.
Supporters of the pill say it is “Plan B” for women when other forms of contraception fail. If used within 72 hours, the pill prevents a woman from ovulating, prevents sperm from uniting with an egg or blocks a fertilized egg from implanting in the woman’s uterus.
If the fertilized egg has implanted, the morning-after pill is ineffective, according to physicians who testified in support of House Bill 1212.
Backers of abortion rights said the governor’s veto of House Bill 1212 could cause more women to seek abortions.
“It is not enough for the governor to give lip service to wanting to reduce abortion,” said Kathryn Wittneben, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado. “Providing emergency contraception to women is one of the safest and most effective ways to help women prevent unintended pregnancy.”
Staff writer Mark P. Couch can be reached at 303-820-1794 or mcouch@denverpost.com.
