Colorado Right To Life

Round 1: Rep. Janak Joshi re-introduced CRTL's single-sentence principled though abortion-neutral bill from last year and HB 13-1032 was killed in committee on a party-line 7-to-4 vote:

"If the commission of any crime codified in this Title [18] or Title 42 of the Colorado Revised Statutes is the proximate cause of death or injury to an unborn member of the species Homo sapiens, the respective homicide and assault charges for that death or injury may be brought contemporaneously with the underlying charges."

Round 2: Immediately after pro-abortion legislators voted down the Joshi bill, Colorado RTL joined with our allies Personhood Colorado and Heather Survoik in announcing the filing of the citizens initiative for the 2014 Brady Amendment to protect all unborn children.

Round 3: Under pressure from the Personhood movement and perhaps for the first time in history, Planned Parenthood is actually supporting a fetal homicide bill, HB 13-1154, something they testified in 2012 that they would never do. More accurately this bill is termed a "fatal homicide bill." This Democrat bill begins by defining "Unlawful termination of pregnancy," making it clear that a primary goal is to further entrench in legislation the dismembering of unborn children, explicitly permitting intentional child killing. The bill also says that "nothing in this act shall be construed to confer personhood, or any rights associated with that status, on a human being at any time prior to live birth." Please note that even in their wickedness, they admit that the unborn child is a "human being."

Round 4: Rep. Stephen Humphrey has introduced HB 13-1033, an attempt at an abortion ban. CRTL has met with Rep. Humphrey and has asked for two amendments to his bill, one to remove a loophole for abortifacient birth control, and the other to remove an unnecessary affirmation of existing abortion law. CRTL wants to thank Rep. Humphrey for his heroic effort to ban child killing, including for the bill's excellent wording regarding the life of the mother and we intend to testify at Thursday's hearing on the bill, Jan. 31st a 2:30 p.m. (you're invited). Rep. Humphrey has indicated that he is preparing amendments although CRTL has not yet seen them. Of course we will support the bill only if amended so that it does not affirm the killing of even a single child. However, the pro-abortion Democrats who control the committee will likely oppose such amendments, in which case testifying will be only a matter of education, and our full attention will then turn to the 2014 Brady Amendment!

See also, CRTL's explanation of the principles and pro-life politics involved at ColoradoRTL.org/fetal-homicide-2012.

To win this war requires leadership, right judgment, pragmatism (knowing what actually works) and courage. Please help CRTL fight by giving financial support right now! We need everyone to help, No Exceptions!

Everett Stadig, personhood activist and a member of Colorado Right To Life, was assaulted in the line of duty (while collecting pro-life signatures) and when the police DNA tested the suspect, the found out that William Costello was a criminal wanted for serial rape of three women, ages 13, 22, and 49, from 2008 to 2011.

Attack on Pro-Lifer Leads to the Arrest of a Serial Rapist
Watch Out for this Man, on the Loose, Rapist William Costello
Costello has ties to leading Democrats up to the Lamm family
District Attorney gives Costello only second-degree charge for assault of pro-lifer

Update: Westward's Michael Roberts has reported that the DA's office spokeswoman Lynn Kimbrough has stated that "two other people came forward with information" bring the number, in addition to the previously reported serial rapes, to five separate crimes, apparently in addition to the assault on Stadig. Halfway through Roberts report, he has a floating reference, "In the wake of Costello's arrest..." But what arrest? As the Denver media has generally underreported and misreported the assault on Everett that led to Costello's arrest and becoming a suspect as a serial rapist, Roberts doesn't even tell his readers what the arrest was for, nor about the sixth victim, an at-risk adult who suffered a broken hip at Costello's hands.

Update: Apparently, on Aug. 11, 2012, the D.A. charged the perpetrator with only second-degree assault after only talking to the offender, whereas his office had not even talked to the pro-life victim, Mr. Stadig, who did not get to speak with the D.A.s office until Sept. 18.

Everett Stadig, long-time Mt. Rushmore employee, is an active Christian pro-lifer and an Abe Lincoln look alike. On June 30, 2012 during the final push to gather signatures for Colorado’s Personhood amendment, 69-year-old Stadig was collecting signatures in front of the Stapleton King Soopers grocery store when he was attacked and thrown off his bike to the ground by a man who became enraged because Everett was asking for signatures "to protect unborn children." A witness who saw the attack recorded the assailant’s license plate number and gave it to the police. Everett was taken by ambulance to the hospital where he underwent surgery for a broken hip.

In the following weeks, Mr. Stadig, concerned that the crime against him was not being investigated, enlisted the help of other pro-lifers and two volunteer attorneys to pressure the Denver police department to investigate the crime. Yet it turns out that the police were pursuing the matter, and eventually brought assault and rape charges agaisnt the perpetrator, a successful Denver businessman.

In August, William Costello was arrested for the attack on Everett Stadig. “Katie’s Law” allows law enforcement to procure DNA samples after a felony arrest. That DNA linked William Costello to three rapes for which he was charged on November 16, 2012.

Regarding the charge against Costello for the assault on Stadig, "It's rather shocking," said Denver pastor and radio host Bob Enyart:

The police gave Costello a charge of only second-degree assault when Everett, a 69-year-old man, was attacked while straddling his bicycle and asking for signatures on his personhood petition. To add insult to injury, the D.A.'s office didn't even speak to the victim until September 18th, whereas they entered the mere second-degree charge on August 11th, after talking only to the perpetrator and not the victim. In addition to Everett, at least one witness, and perhaps others, spoke with police. The perpetrator, now known to be a pro-abortion Democrat with ties to high-profile governing officials including a former governor, was angry that Everett was a pro-lifer. Costello at first walked away toward his vehicle, then returned, and assaulted Everett by throwing him to the ground. The force of the impact broke Everett's hip. This is a first-degree assault on an at-risk adult and the Denver D.A. Mitchell Morrissey should upgrade this charge against this out-of-control and dangerous offender.