Colorado § 25-6-102 - Policy, authority, and prohibitions against restrictions.

§ 25-6-102. Policy, authority, and prohibitions against restrictions.

(1) All medically acceptable contraceptive procedures, supplies, and information shall be readily and practicably available to each person desirous of the same regardless of sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, race, color, creed, religion, disability, age, income, number of children, marital status, citizenship, national origin, ancestry, or motive.

(2) Medical evaluation and advice is encouraged for all persons seeking any contraceptive procedures, supplies, and information.

(3) No hospital, clinic, medical center, institution, or pharmacy shall subject any person to any standard or requirement as a prerequisite for any contraceptive procedures, supplies, or information, including sterilization, other than referral to a physician.

(4) No hospital, clinic, medical center, or pharmacy licensed in this state, nor any agency or institution of this state, nor any unit of local government shall have any policy which interferes with either the physician-patient relationship or any physician or patient desiring to use any medically acceptable contraceptive procedures, supplies, or information.

(5) Contraceptive procedures, including medical procedures for permanent sterilization, when performed by a physician on a requesting and consenting patient, are consistent with public policy.

(6) Notwithstanding any other provision of this part 1, no unmarried person under eighteen years of age may consent to permanent sterilization procedures without the consent of parent or guardian.

(7) Nothing in this part 1 shall inhibit a physician from refusing to furnish any contraceptive procedures, supplies, or information for medical reasons.

(8) Dissemination of medically acceptable contraceptive information by duly authorized persons at schools, in state, district, and county health and welfare departments or public health agencies, in medical facilities at institutions of higher education, and at other agencies and instrumentalities of this state is consistent with public policy.

(9) No private institution or physician, nor any agent or employee of such institution or physician, shall be prohibited from refusing to provide contraceptive procedures, supplies, and information when such refusal is based upon religious or conscientious objection, and no such institution, employee, agent, or physician shall be held liable for such refusal.

(10) To the extent family planning funds are available, each agency and institution of this state and each of its political subdivisions shall provide contraceptive procedures, supplies, and information, including permanent sterilization procedures, to indigent persons free of charge and to other persons at cost.

Source: L. 71: p. 638, § 1. C.R.S. 1963: § 66-32-2. L. 2008: (1) amended, p. 1603, § 30, effective May 29. L. 2010: (8) amended, (HB 10-1422), ch. 419, p. 2102, § 115, effective August 11. L. 2021: (1) amended, (HB 21-1108), ch. 156, p. 896, § 39, effective September 7.

Cross references: For the legislative declaration contained in the 2008 act amending subsection (1), see section 1 of chapter 341, Session Laws of Colorado 2008. For the legislative declaration in HB 21-1108, see section 1 of chapter 156, Session Laws of Colorado 2021.

ANNOTATION

Law reviews. For article, "Consent to Treatment and Access to Minors' Medical Records", see 17 Colo. Law. 1323 (1988).