If passed, Amendment 79 would repeal a 40-year-old ban on using taxpayer money for abortions in Colorado.

The ban — which allows exceptions when a mother’s life is in danger or when a pregnancy is the result of rape or incest — is enshrined in a 1984 state constitutional amendment. If Amendment 79 passes, it would be repealed, potentially allowing Medicaid and public employee health plans in Colorado to cover the cost of the procedure.

Amendment 79 would also protect the right to abortion in the Colorado Constitution and prohibit any state or local government from impeding that right. The change would have no impact on government spending, but publicly funded abortion programs could be created in the future.

This fact brief is a response to conversations like this.

The full source list can be found below.