NEW MEXICO VS. COLORADO: GREEN CHILE RIVALRY ECLIPSED BY RACE TO THE TOP IN ABORTION

Colorado performs more abortions overall, but New Mexico now has the nation’s highest abortion rate per capita as pro-life advocates unite to fight for truth, accountability, and constitutional protections for the unborn.

By Bud Shaver,

​ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — For generations, New Mexico and Colorado have enjoyed a friendly rivalry over green chile. Today, that rivalry has taken a far darker turn.

According to Guttmacher’s 2025 Monthly Abortion Provision Study, Colorado performed an estimated 22,780 clinician-provided abortions, while New Mexico performed an estimated 16,150. However, Colorado’s population is nearly three times larger than New Mexico’s. When adjusted for population, New Mexico now has the highest abortion rate per capita in the nation. In 2024, Guttmacher estimated that 69% of abortions performed in New Mexico were for out-of-state residents, compared to 25% in Colorado.

Abortion Free New Mexico recently documented how New Mexico has transitioned from being known as the nation’s late-term abortion capital to becoming America’s abortion capital per capita.

While New Mexico has been governed by Democrat majorities for generations, Colorado’s political transformation into a Democratic stronghold was famously chronicled in The Blueprint: How Democrats Won Colorado (and Why Republicans Everywhere Should Care). Today, both states have embraced some of the nation’s most expansive abortion policies while continuing to struggle with violent crime rates that rank among the highest in the country.

Women Continue to Be Injured

The race does not end with abortion numbers.

Operation Rescue’s recent report, Three More Women Injured by Planned Parenthood in Colorado, and Lexi’s Death Still Unanswered, documented three additional ambulance transports from a Planned Parenthood facility in Denver and reported eight abortion-related medical emergencies at that location in less than two years.

Likewise, Abortion Free New Mexico has documented more than 50 abortion-related medical emergencies and injuries at New Mexico abortion facilities since 2010, raising continuing concerns about transparency, oversight, and patient safety.

Colorado may perform more abortions because it has nearly three times New Mexico’s population, but New Mexico still holds the nation’s top spot when population is considered,” said Bud Shaver, Executive Director of Abortion Free New Mexico. “The next question is just as disturbing: Which state is leading in abortion-related injuries? Women deserve transparency—not political protection for the abortion industry.”

Tara Shaver, leader with Abortion Free New Mexico, added:

For decades, New Mexico and Colorado have debated green chile. Sadly, that rivalry is being eclipsed by a race to the top in abortion. No state should aspire to become America’s abortion destination. Real leadership protects both women and their children—not an industry that profits from ending one life while too often putting another at risk.”

Despite Colorado’s expansive abortion laws, there is hope. Across the state, a growing coalition of pro-life advocates, physicians, churches, pregnancy resource centers, and abortion abolitionists are working together to restore legal protections for unborn children. Organizations such as the Colorado chapter of the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG), the Repeal 79 campaign, and national watchdogs like Operation Rescue are promoting medical accountability, exposing abortion-related injuries, and advancing constitutional protections for the unborn.

A Growing Movement for Constitutional Protection

While Democrats have successfully taken political control of the state state, pro-life advocates and abortion abolitionists are increasingly working together with a common purpose: restoring legal protections for unborn children through constitutional change.

The Repeal 79 at effort is working to place a constitutional amendment before Colorado voters. The campaign seeks to restore legal protections for unborn children by changing Colorado’s constitution while encouraging churches, families, and citizens to work together in defense of life. Learn more at GotAHeart.org.

Abortion Free New Mexico applauds the growing unity among Colorado’s pro-life movement—including abolitionists, pregnancy resource centers, churches, physicians, and pro-life organizations—who are standing together in pursuit of a culture that values every human life.

The abortion industry didn’t become this powerful overnight, and restoring a culture of life won’t happen overnight either,” said Bud Shaver. “But history shows that determined citizens can peacefully change the direction of a state.”

Shaver continued:

We applaud the remarkable unity taking place in Colorado as pro-life advocates and abortion abolitionists stand together with one goal—to restore legal protections for unborn children through peaceful, constitutional means. Abortion Free New Mexico stands in solidarity with these efforts because every child deserves equal protection under the law. My hope is that New Mexico will one day restore constitutional protections for preborn children. While New Mexico’s Equal Rights Amendment has been interpreted by the courts to protect abortion access, we affirm that the law should recognize the equal worth, dignity, and protection of both mothers and their unborn children.”

Abortion Free New Mexico Calls For:

• The restoration of comprehensive abortion reporting in New Mexico.
• Mandatory public reporting of abortion-related injuries and emergency transports.
• Independent inspections of abortion facilities.
• Meaningful state and federal oversight to ensure transparency and accountability.
• Greater unity among New Mexico’s pro-life community in advancing peaceful, constitutional efforts that protect both women and their unborn children.

Read Abortion Free New Mexico’s latest related report: 

• ​State of Emergency: Guttmacher Confirms New Mexico as the Nation’s Abortion Capital