Ask Colorado Governor Polis to Veto Four Dangerous Bills

The 2026 Colorado Legislative session ended May 13, 2026. In its final week, Democrats passed four bills that are both deceptive and dangerous and sent them to Governor Polis for signature or veto. Because these bills were sent during the session’s last 10 days, the Governor has 30 days—until June 12, 2026—to sign or veto them. Citizens can ask Governor Polis to veto HB26-1309, HB26-1335, HB26-1322, and HB26-1141 at https://tinyurl.com/veto4bills. That website summarizes concerns about each bill and provides a simple template for contacting the Governor to ask for a veto. I testified against the bills at the Capitol and explain below why I believe they are dangerous.

HB26-1141 (Discriminatory Practices in Public Schools) adds “pregnancy” and “parental status” to protected harassment categories under Colorado’s anti-discrimination law. This would classify pro-life advocacy toward college women in crisis pregnancies as harassment as well as pressure parents to affirm a student’s transgender identity or risk charges. Those actions violate the First Amendment constitutional protections on free exercise of religion and free speech.

HB26-1322 (Civil Actions for Conversion Therapy Survivors) subjects parents and counselors to lawsuits for not affirming a child’s gender identity, which again violates the First Amendment's free speech clause. Democrats who created this bill apparently forgot that just two months ago, the Supreme Court struck down Colorado’s 2019 conversion therapy ban for LGBT minors, stating, “… the First Amendment stands as a shield against any effort to enforce orthodoxy in thought or speech in this country” (tinyurl.com/genderconversion).

Similarly, HB26-1309 (Abuse in Cases of Separation) defines “coercive control” in domestic violence cases to include a parent who does not affirm a child’s professed transgender identity. During marriage custody proceedings, is it fair that one parent would risk that a judge will award custody to the second parent because the one parent seeks counseling that aligns with their values? The bill also defines health-related abuse as “interfering with pregnancy outcomes and decisions,” so that fathers could face penalties for promoting pro-life decisions. Colorado recently paid over $5 million in litigation costs to two pro-life pregnancy centers after a 2023 law (SB23-190) banning abortion pill reversal was judicially blocked (tinyurl.com/coloradopaysmillions). Federal Judge Domenico ruled, “There is no question whether Section Three (of SB23-190) burdens Bella Health's free exercise of religion” (tinyurl.com/freexerciseofreligion). Should Colorado taxpayers continue paying millions to defend laws that will obviously face constitutional challenges?

The most dangerous bill is HB26-1335, requiring college campus health centers to dispense abortion pills while lacking fundamental safeguards. First, no informed consent is required, meaning women won’t be warned that one in nine women experience serious complications—such as hemorrhage, sepsis, or emergency room visits—within 45 days of taking mifepristone (https://eppc.org/stop-harming-women/), up to and including death! Let me explain those last two words. Holly Patterson died from septic shock seven days after taking the two abortion drugs (tinyurl.com/holly18yrstory). Abortion drugs are not “safer than Tylenol” by any stretch of the imagination. Second, the bill does not require in-person dispensing, increasing concerns about coercion. Studies report that 64% to 74% of women seeking abortions experience some form of coercion, often linked to abuse or sex trafficking (tinyurl.com/64coerced).

Call to action: Please visit https://tinyurl.com/veto4bills and ask Governor Polis to veto HB26-1309, HB26-1335, HB26-1322, and HB26-1141. Click in the faint rectangular boxes at the website to gain access to the template for contacting the Governor. Another way to access the Governor is at governorpolis@state.co.us - so please use your voice to try and prevent these bills from becoming law.

Please provide feedback on this article at email, lloydbenes50@gmail.com.

Lloyd is a retired engineer in Loveland, Colorado.