{"id":333099,"date":"2025-06-20T06:38:22","date_gmt":"2025-06-20T11:38:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=333099"},"modified":"2025-06-19T11:38:36","modified_gmt":"2025-06-19T16:38:36","slug":"colorado-parental-leave-life-affirming-abortion-policies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/colorado-parental-leave-life-affirming-abortion-policies\/","title":{"rendered":"Colorado\u2019s new parental leave policy is life-affirming, but its abortion-related policies aren’t"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(Pregnancy Help News<\/a>) Good news! On Friday, May 30, Colorado Governor Jared Polis (D) signed into law a bill expanding parental leave<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In a ballot initiative in 2020, voters passed the Paid Medical and Family Leave Initiative<\/a> with a 57.72% yes vote. This ballot initiative, which became law, allowed for up to 12 weeks of paid time off work under certain circumstances, including, but not limited to, \u201ccaring for a new child during the first year after the birth or adoption or for foster care of a new child.\u201d Nearly 86,000 claims<\/a> to date have been filed for parental leave alone since the initiative was enacted.<\/p>\n

Now, five years later, Colorado is expanding upon that law. Senate Bill 25-144<\/a> states that starting Jan 1, 2026, paid time off can be extended for \u201can additional twelve weeks to a covered individual who has a child receiving inpatient care in a neonatal intensive care unit for the duration that the child is receiving care in the neonatal intensive care unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

Additionally, the law expands paid leave for an additional four weeks for a woman who is experiencing \u201ca serious health condition related to pregnancy complications or childbirth complications.\u201d<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the bill sponsors, Rep. Yara Zokaie (D), once had to work from the hospital when her child was in NICU.<\/p>\n

In support of the bill she stated<\/a>, \u201cHaving a child in the NICU is one of the most terrifying moments as a parent, and the last thing they should be worried about is having to choose between spending time with their child in the hospital and keeping their jobs.\u201d<\/p>\n

She is absolutely correct. In addition to this bill being good for parents, it\u2019s good for the children, too. NICU babies have better developmental outcomes<\/a> even at ages 4 and 5 years if parents are allowed more time to hold them and have skin to skin contact.<\/p>\n

Colorado has made amazing strides in providing for families in a relatively short time!<\/p>\n

The cognitive dissonance<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Colorado citizens and lawmakers seem to care deeply that families are cared for, especially during hard times.<\/p>\n

But these paid family leave bills are in stark contrast to Colorado laws concerning Abortion Pill Reversal (APR) and abortion.<\/p>\n

In May 2023, Colorado<\/a> became the first state to ban APR<\/a> and placed sanctions<\/a> on pregnancy help centers<\/a> or anyone else<\/a> who advertised or prescribed progesterone<\/a> after a woman had taken mifepristone<\/a>. However, in October 2023, a federal judge gave a preliminary injunction<\/a> against the bill, allowing<\/a> Bella Health and other similar providers<\/a> to continue providing APR<\/a>. The case, Bella Health and Wellness v. Weiser<\/em>, is ongoing<\/a>.<\/p>\n