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Harris-Walz Reproductive Freedom Tour met with Strong Opposition in Pueblo

Tamra Axworthy

October 14, 2024

Kamala Harris’ staff were on a bus labeled REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS and was scheduled to stop in Pueblo on Monday afternoon at the Union Depot followed by a council meeting that evening. Her team indicated that they had plans for the bus to make more than 50 stops nationwide to promote extending access to abortion. According to a campaign press release, Nick Heinrickson and Daneya Esgar were scheduled to speak in the afternoon, since abortion is such a controversial topic in Pueblo. 


The Republican Party claims that pro-life advocators at the rally outnumbered the pro-abortion activists as the Kamala Harris Reproductive Rights bus positioned itself in front of the Pueblo Union Depot. Witnesses stated that the arrival of the Kamala Harris’s bus drew hundreds of people to the Depot on October 7th, with numbers of less than 40 activists compared to the roughly 200 pro-life advocates in attendance.


Harris supporters rallied around the campaign bus parked in the back of the Depot while pro-life advocators watched from the South Union Avenue Bridge. Several other observers gathered along the neighboring sidewalks to share stories, pray together, and sing worship songs. Claudia Sandoval, the Season 6 winner of "MasterChef" on Fox, was among those rallying for reproductive choice, supporting Kamala Harris and the Democratic Party in Pueblo.


Fearmongering and lies were spread behind the depot with speakers. Claudia Sandoval said, "If Donald Trump and J.D. Vance go back to power, they will enact their Project 2025 agenda," Sandoval said. "Don't let them lie to you. That will impact reproductive healthcare across the nation and it's not just going to affect abortion care. They'll be coming after your birth control, monitoring your pregnancies, and even taking away your freedom to start your own family — but fortunately, we don't have to choose that path." Statements like this have been refuted and debunked time and again by USA Today, PBS, CNN and others.


Not surprisingly, Sandoval was joined by the reputed far-left State Sen. Nick Hinrichsen, Monica Hughes of Cobalt, State Rep. Stephanie Vigil, and Pueblo County Commissioner Daneya Esgar; who sponsored the horrendous RHEA laws passed in Colorado in 2022. Common, and purposefully misleading, rhetoric flowed from Esgar as she said, "Over one in three women of reproductive age now live in states with a Trump abortion ban, many of these bans have no exceptions for rape and incest.” She continued, "Most threaten doctors with jail time just for doing their jobs. All of them rob women of their freedom to make their own health care decisions with devastating consequences." This rhetoric is patently untrue and is intended to confuse voters about the differences between elective-induced abortion and medically necessary procedures performed in legitimate facilities to save a woman’s life.


Luckily, other pro-life organizations such as Pro-Life of Southern Colorado, A Caring Pregnancy Center, and The Young Republicans came to the Union Depot to shed light on the fallacies being shared on the dark side of the depot. Pro-life abolitionist Jason Smith had numerous conversations and engagements with people attending the rally. He was quoted as saying "No one here, ask anyone, no one here has a problem if a woman has a miscarriage to try to take care of," Smith said. "What we have a problem with is the elective murdering of a human being that is not already dying or dead. That's the problem” by the Pueblo Chieftain.


While the Harris-Walz campaign brought a bus, A Caring Pregnancy Center brought #ANNtheVan, ACPC’s "clinic on wheels" that provides free ultrasounds and pregnancy testing. When the news of Harris’ bus visit to Pueblo hit social media, I knew ACPC and #AnntheVan had to be there to represent those who want to protect life. We wanted people to see the available alternative to the message being purported by Harris’ team during their visit. We wanted them to see that there is another option, an option that doesn’t profit from a woman’s choice. It turned out to be an amazing event (at least from the perspective of the pro-life attendees)…one full of unity, hope, fellowship, and love. It was inspiring to see people praying for one another and hearing the stories shared with one another. We were truly honored to have been a part of the festivities and are encouraged by how our community comes together to stand for LIFE in Pueblo.  



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