HB 24-1224

House Bill 24-1224, also known as the "Personhood of Living Unborn Human Child" bill, aims to grant legal personhood status to an unborn child from the moment of fertilization. This means that any existing laws related to abortion or prenatal care would be overridden if they conflict with this new definition. The bill also protects a mother from being charged with first-degree murder under duress if she harms her unborn child. Since it has been signed into law, it will now have significant legal implications for abortion rights and maternal health in Colorado.

Official Summary

The bill defines "person" to include a living unborn human child at any stage of development, from fertilization at the fusion of a human spermatozoon with a human ovum, as "person" relates to a private right of action and neglect provisions and current homicide and assault provisions. The bill declares that any existing state law relating to prenatal neglect, homicide, or assault, or regulating abortion or abortion facilities, is superseded to the extent it conflicts with or is inconsistent with the bill. The bill states that the defense of duress is available for an offense of murder in the first degree if the victim is a living unborn human child and the defendant is the child's mother. The bill authorizes the state to disregard any federal court decision that purports to enjoin or void the bill and subjects a Colorado judge to impeachment or removal if the judge purports to enjoin, stay, overrule, or void the requirement. (Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

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