View source for Colorado Right to Life

{{Short description|American anti-abortion advocacy group}}
'''Colorado Right To Life''' ('''CRTL''') is an American [[anti-abortion]] [[advocacy group]] based in the state of [[Colorado]]. CRTL believes all human beings not convicted of a [[capital crime]] have a [[right to life]] from the moment of [[fertilization]] until natural death. The organization is opposed to [[abortion]] and [[euthanasia]], as well as any kind of birth control that functions as an [[abortifacient]] or [[embryonic stem cell]] research that causes the death of an embryo.

==Background==
Colorado Right To Life was founded in July 1967 by a coalition of [[anti-abortion]] activists — including Mary Rita Urbish, Charles Onofrio, and John Archibold — three months after Colorado became the first state to pass a law which legalized abortion in cases of [[rape]], [[incest]], or danger to maternal life.<ref>Martin, Claire. (April 25, 2007). "[http://www.denverpost.com/legislature/ci_5743173 Colo. abortion rights got start 40 years ago today]." ''The Denver Post.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref><ref>Ryckman, Lisa. (April 24, 2007). "[http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5501512,00.html Ground zero on abortion] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071007183221/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5501512,00.html |date=2007-10-07 }}." ''Rocky Mountain News.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref>

CRTL was disaffiliated by the [[National Right to Life Committee]] in 2007, partly as a result of disagreement between the positions taken by the two organizations, and partly over an [[open letter]] which CRTL and several other major anti-abortion organizations signed.<ref name="open letter">Full text of [http://www.coloradorighttolife.org/openletter "Open Letter to Dr. James Dobson"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100918130331/http://www.coloradorighttolife.org/openletter |date=2010-09-18 }}</ref>  The open letter, paid for by independent donors, asked [[Focus on the Family]] chairman [[James Dobson]] to retract his statement that the [[United States Supreme Court|U.S. Supreme Court's]] ruling in favor of upholding the [[Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act]] in the case ''[[Gonzales v. Carhart]]'' was a positive outcome for the anti-abortion movement.  The letter claimed that the decision actually affirmed widespread abortion rights, detailed methods which could be used to perform [[late-term abortion]]s legally, and indicated that all but two of the [[List of Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States|Supreme court justices]] currently serving ([[Antonin Scalia|Scalia]] and [[Clarence Thomas|Thomas]]) supported ''[[Roe v. Wade]]''.<ref>Cooperman, Alan. (June 4, 2007). "[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/03/AR2007060301218_pf.html Supreme Court Ruling Brings Split in Antiabortion Movement]." ''The Washington Post.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref><ref>DeGette, Cara. (June 14, 2007). "[http://www.coloradoconfidential.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2238 Rift Widens Between Anti-Abortion Activists] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071021191818/http://www.coloradoconfidential.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=2238 |date=2007-10-21 }}." ''Colorado Confidential.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref><ref>"[http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/7998417.html Colorado Right to Life Kicked Out of National Group] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110714161214/http://www.nbc11news.com/home/headlines/7998417.html |date=2011-07-14 }}." (June 14, 2007). ''News 11 Colorado.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref><ref>Torkelson, Jean. (June 14, 2007). "[http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5585185,00.html National group boots Right to Life] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724122527/http://www.rockymountainnews.com/drmn/local/article/0,1299,DRMN_15_5585185,00.html |date=2008-07-24 }}." ''Rocky Mountain News.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref><ref>Johnson, Khari. (June 14, 2007). "[http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20070614/ai_n19307720 National group boots Colorado Right to Life]." ''The Gazette.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref><ref>"[http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_6133972 National office expels Colo. Right to Life]." (June 14, 2007). ''The Denver Post.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref><ref>Enyart, Bob. (n.d.) "[http://www.coloradorighttolife.org/partial-birth-abortion-ban-ruling CRTL Summary of the Ruling Upholding the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070920172547/http://www.coloradorighttolife.org/partial-birth-abortion-ban-ruling |date=2007-09-20 }}." Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref> Carrie Gordon Earll, a Focus on the Family spokesperson, responded by referring to Colorado Right To Life as a "rogue and divisive group", and the National Right to Life Committee selected Colorado Citizens for Life/Protecting Life Now to replace CRTL as its state affiliate for Colorado.<ref>"[https://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=3276558 Right to Life Drops Colo. Affiliate]." (June 13, 2007). ''ABC News.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref>

Colorado Right To Life continues to operate as an independent entity, because its existence predates the National Right to Life Committee, and CRTL therefore owns its name and is not required to be an affiliate of any national organization.

[http://kgov.com/bel/20120426 Biff Gore] is the president of Colorado Right To Life. . Leslie Hanks has served as its vice president and spokesperson for several years.

==Positions==
Colorado Right To Life does not believe that an abortion should be permitted under any circumstances, including rape or incest, and this has resulted in disagreement between CRTL and other anti-abortion organizations like the National Right to Life Committee. CRTL has appealed to these groups not to support exceptions to the prohibition of abortion and not to advocate [[minors and abortion|parental involvement]] legislation. CRTL maintains that any law under which an abortion would be allowed condones the procedure and is therefore unacceptable.

Because CRTL advocates the standard of a right to life "from fertilization to natural death", it also opposes euthanasia, arguing that the deliberate taking of one innocent life undermines the value of life as a whole.

CRTL objects to [[embryonic stem cell research]], suggesting that research conducted on [[adult stem cells]] and [[cord blood]] is preferable, as neither relies upon the destruction of human [[embryo]]s.

CRTL is on record as opposing [[Susan G. Komen for the Cure]] because the foundation does not recognize the [[abortion – breast cancer hypothesis]] and because they donate money to Planned Parenthood.  Along with former Komen Foundation medical analyst Eve Silver, who is now an anti-abortion activist, CRTL met with the Komen board in September 2006 to discuss the abortion-breast cancer issue.<ref>Hanks, Leslie. (October 6, 2006). "[http://www.christiannewswire.com/index.php?module=releases&task=view&releaseID=1175 Komen Foundation Meets with Colorado Right To Life on Abortion Breast Cancer Link]." ''Christian Newswire.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref>

==Activism==
Colorado Right To Life holds an annual event called the "March for Life" at the [[Colorado State Capitol]] to mark the anniversary of the ''Roe v. Wade'' decision.  They also hold a yearly fundraising dinner known as the "Light on Life Banquet".

In April 2007, CRTL organized an event called "40 Years in the Wilderness", at which [[Alan Keyes]], Judie Brown of the [[American Life League]], and [[Flip Benham]] of [[Operation Rescue/Operation Save America|Operation Save America]] gathered to collectively back a no-exceptions position on abortion and euthanasia. Another goal of the meeting was to bring attention to the ''Gonzales v. Carhart''  ruling for the same reasons outlined in the open letter to James Dobson.<ref name="open letter"/>

CRTL actively pickets [[abortion clinic]]s and has launched a campaign intended to halt construction of a new [[Planned Parenthood]] facility in [[Denver]].<ref>Augé, Karen. (August 20, 2007). "[http://www.denverpost.com/ci_6666100 Faceoff looms at new Planned Parenthood]." ''The Denver Post.'' Retrieved October 7, 2007.</ref>

Colorado Right To Life was also the leading force behind 2008's [[Colorado Amendment 48 (2008)]], otherwise known as the "Personhood Amendment" (basically a statewide Human Life Amendment), and is trying to get another Personhood Amendment on the ballot for 2010, in cooperation with [[Personhood USA]].

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*[http://www.coloradorighttolife.org Colorado Right To Life website]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bIOQrZTrMiY Dr. Alan Keyes on Partial Birth Abortion Ruling at CRTL’s 40 Years in the Wilderness event (April 2007)]
*[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPHBqzJIwtM CRTL Members Testifying for legislation to end all abortion]

[[Category:Anti-abortion organizations in the United States]]
[[Category:1967 establishments in Colorado]]