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HB26-1085 • 2026

Offer Pregnant Person Do Not Abort Form

The bill requires a pregnant person's health-care provider to offer a pregnant person the option to fill out a "Do Not Abort" form that expresses the person's wishes to not receive an abortion in the

Abortion Healthcare Labor
Passed Legislature

This bill passed both chambers and reached final enrollment, even if later executive action is not shown here.

Sponsor
Rep. R. Keltie
Last action
2026-02-25
Official status
House Committee on Health & Human Services Postpone Indefinitely
Effective date
Not listed

Plain English Breakdown

The provided metadata lists conflicting status information: it states the bill passed the legislature but also shows a committee action postponing it indefinitely. The effective date logic relies on an assumed adjournment date (May 13, 2026) mentioned in Section 2.

Offering a Do Not Abort Form to Pregnant Patients

This bill requires health-care providers in Colorado to offer pregnant people the option to fill out a form stating they do not want an abortion if they become unable to communicate or make decisions.

What This Bill Does

  • Requires doctors and other health workers to give pregnant patients the option to sign a 'Do Not Abort' form.
  • States that this form shows the patient's wish to avoid an abortion if they are incapacitated or cannot communicate.
  • Mandates that providers place the signed form into the patient's official medical record.

Who It Names or Affects

  • Pregnant people receiving health care in Colorado
  • Health-care providers who treat pregnant patients

Terms To Know

Incapacitated or incapable of communicating
A state where a person cannot make medical decisions or communicate their wishes.
Do Not Abort form
A document that records a pregnant person's choice to not have an abortion if they are unable to speak for themselves.

Limits and Unknowns

  • The bill does not take effect immediately; it waits until August 12, 2026, unless voters challenge it.
  • If citizens file a petition against the law within ninety days of the legislative session ending, it will only start if approved by voters in November 2026.

Amendments

These notes stay tied to the official amendment files and metadata from the legislature.

L.003

HOU Health & Human Services

Passed [*]

Plain English: This amendment replaces the original bill to create a new legal form called an 'Advanced Pregnancy Directive' that allows pregnant patients to choose whether life-sustaining treatment should continue if they become unconscious and cannot recover, specifically to keep a viable fetus alive until delivery.

  • It creates a voluntary written document where a pregnant patient can decide to receive medical care like breathing machines or artificial nutrition solely to sustain the pregnancy if they lose decision-making ability.
  • If this form is signed and the doctor determines recovery is not expected but the fetus is viable, doctors must continue life-support treatments until delivery is possible or treatment becomes medically ineffective.
  • This new directive takes priority over other medical power of attorney documents specifically for decisions about continuing treatment to support fetal gestation.
  • The amendment does not explain how a doctor determines if a fetus is 'viable' beyond stating it requires reasonable medical judgment.
  • It is unclear what specific legal steps must be taken if the patient's family disagrees with the directive, as the text only states the directive governs decisions.

Bill History

  1. 2026-02-25 House

    House Committee on Health & Human Services Postpone Indefinitely

  2. 2026-02-02 House

    Introduced In House - Assigned to Health & Human Services

Official Summary Text

The bill requires a pregnant person's health-care provider to offer a pregnant person the option to fill out a "Do Not Abort" form that expresses the person's wishes to not receive an abortion in the event the person is incapacitated or incapable of communicating. If the pregnant person fills out a "Do Not Abort" form, the health-care provider shall input the form into the pregnant person's medical record.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
Second Regular Session
Seventy-fifth General Assembly
STATE OF COLORADO
INTRODUCED

LLS NO. 26-0476.02 Shelby Ross x4510 HOUSE BILL 26-1085
House Committees Senate Committees
Health & Human Services
A BILL FOR AN ACT
CONCERNING REQUIRING A PREGNANT PERSON 'S HEALTH -CARE101
PROVIDER TO OFFER THE PREGNANT PERSON THE OPTION TO102
FILL OUT A "DO NOT ABORT" FORM.103
Bill Summary
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced and does
not reflect any amendments that may be subsequently adopted. If this bill
passes third reading in the house of introduction, a bill summary that
applies to the reengrossed version of this bill will be available at
http://leg.colorado.gov.)
The bill requires a pregnant person's health-care provider to offer
a pregnant person the option to f ill out a "Do Not Abort" form that
expresses the person's wishes to not receive an abortion in the event the
person is incapacitated or incapable of communicating. If the pregnant
person fills out a "Do Not Abort" form, the health-care provider shall
HOUSE SPONSORSHIP
Keltie,
SENATE SPONSORSHIP
(None),
Shading denotes HOUSE amendment. Double underlining denotes SENATE amendment.
Capital letters or bold & italic numbers indicate new material to be added to existing law.
Dashes through the words or numbers indicate deletions from existing law.
input the form into the pregnant person's medical record.
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Colorado:1
SECTION 1. In Colorado Revised Statutes, add 25-3-135 as2
follows:3
25-3-135. Do not abort form for pregnant person.4
A PREGNANT PERSON'S HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER SHALL OFFER THE5
PERSON THE OPTION TO FILL OUT A "DO NOT ABORT" FORM THAT6
EXPRESSES THE PERSON'S WISHES TO NOT RECEIVE AN ABORTION IN THE7
EVENT THE PERSON IS INCAPACITATED OR INCAPABLE OF COMMUNICATING.8
IF THE PREGNANT PERSON FILLS OUT A "DO NOT ABORT" FORM , THE9
HEALTH-CARE PROVIDER SHALL INPUT THE FORM INTO THE PERSON 'S10
MEDICAL RECORD.11
SECTION 2. Act subject to petition - effective date. This act12
takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day following the expiration of the13
ninety-day period after final adjournment of the general assembly (August14
12, 2026, if adj ournment sine die is on May 13, 2026); except that, if a15
referendum petition is filed pursuant to section 1 (3) of article V of the16
state constitution against this act or an item, section, or part of this act17
within such period, then the act, item, section, or part will not take effect18
unless approved by the people at the general election to be held in19
November 2026 and, in such case, will take effect on the date of the20
official declaration of the vote thereon by the governor.21
HB26-1085-2-