1-minute voting guide: Amendment 79 protects abortion access in the Colorado constitution

Against the backdrop of the landmark Dobbs decision , Colorado will consider whether to enshrine the right to an abortion into the state constitution.

Why it matters: Abortion is legal in Colorado under state law, but reproductive rights advocates want to make it absolute by making it a constitutional right.

Driving the news: Amendment 79 — which needs 55% approval to win — provides unfettered access to abortion regardless of the point in pregnancy.

• Most importantly, it would block lawmakers from enacting future restrictions.

Zoom in: It also repeals the current ban on using state and local taxpayer dollars to cover the procedure, which voters added to the state constitution in 1984.

• Now, more than 1.8 million Colorado residents are prohibited from using insurance to cover abortion services because they are public school or state government employees, or on Medicaid.

The other side: Opponents continue to push for a ban or limits on abortion through state law and ballot measures, but none were successful this year in the face of Democratic opposition and public opinion.

The big picture: The campaign is one-sided. The Amendment 79 issue committee, Coloradans for Protecting Reproductive Freedom, and its partners have raised more than $13 million through the end of September, including big money from billionaire donors .