Catholic Issues in the Colorado Public Square

The four Catholic bishops of Colorado are asking all Catholics of our state to support three new ballot initiatives. They are encouraging all parishes to collect signatures to get these initiatives on the ballot for November 2026. Here is a brief description of the initiatives:

#108 Penalties for Human Trafficking of a Minor
This initiative strengthens laws against the sex trafficking of children, including changing the crime from a class 2 felony to a class 1 felony with a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole or release. Human trafficking violates the sanctity, dignity, and fundamental rights of the human person. According to the International Labor Organization, 25% of all sex trafficking victims age 17 or younger. As of 2023, Colorado is ranked 10th in the nation for highest sex trafficking reports. It is imperative that Coloradans strengthen laws that reject the modern slavery of sex trafficking of children. 

 #109 Male and Female Participation in School Sports   
This initiative affirms the “unique and immutable biological differences” between boys and girls from birth, and that those differences become more pronounced as children age and reach puberty. Therefore, it requires all interscholastic and intramural athletic programs to be expressly designated based on biological sex as either for men, women, or coeducational. Policies that allow biological boys to participate in girls’ sports promote the unfair treatment of girls and pose potentially dangerous and inappropriate situations for them, including sharing bathrooms and locker rooms with biological boys. Initiative #109 is important for the equal dignity of men and women and addresses the unfair competition and potential safety concerns for minors when biological sex is disregarded.

#110 Prohibit Certain Surgeries on Minors
This Initiative includes the “Protect Children from Irreversible Sex Change Surgery Act,” which recognizes that minors lack the maturity to make “permanent, life-altering medical decisions,” and that medical interventions and surgery intended to alter a child’s biological sex often result in severe, irreversible consequences and even sterility. This initiative also prohibits medical providers from knowingly performing, prescribing, or administering a medical intervention or surgery on a minor with the intent to alter their biological sex, and prohibits state funding from being used for such medical interventions or surgeries. The Church emphasizes the need to respect the natural order of the human person, especially of children whose physical and mental well-being will be seriously harmed by permanent and life-altering medical interventions and surgeries. For more information see the bishops’ letter here: https://cocatholic.org/bishop-letters/parental-rights-initiatives/

The Catholic bishops of Colorado “implore the Catholic faithful to act in accordance with Church teaching in support of these three initiatives.” Each initiative requires nearly 125,000 valid signatures within six months of their kick-off in early September to be placed on the 2026 Colorado ballot.

To that end, the bishops are asking all parishes to host “signature collection drives’ on a weekend in October and November. These drives will take place at IHM on Oct. 11-12, and Nov. 1-2. The bishops say that “without the Catholic Church’s participation in this volunteer-led effort, the initiatives will fail. So it is imperative that each church participate” in these “signature collection drives.” “If you are registered to vote in Colorado, please sign the petitions… If you are not registered to vote, you may sign up here: https://cocatholic.org/resources/voter-guide/.

Here at IHM we will need volunteers to help collect signatures after the Masses on these weekends. If you would like to help, please call or text Joan Windholz, the Director of IHM’s Faithful Citizenship Apostolate, at 303-995-0866, or sign up at this link:
https://protectkidscolorado.app.neoncrm.com/forms/catholic-parish-volunteers.