Last year’s “personhood” amendment was defeated by a 3-to-1 margin, but the amendment’s supporters are determined to try again.
In 2008, Colorado voters rejected a “personhood” initiative, Amendment 48, which would have labeled embryos as "persons" at the moment of fertilization, a move which would have had numerous legal consequences. 73% of voters defeated the proposal, which was so extreme in its wording that not only would abortion have been made illegal, but even some forms of contraception could have been jeopardized.
The amendment was proposed by Colorado for Equal Rights, an innocuous name that veils the group’s extreme pro-life position. Colorado for Equal Rights received national publicity before last year’s election, largely because the organization, and the proposed amendment, was spearheaded by Christian activist Kristi Burton, 21.
Though the personhood amendment was roundly criticized for its extreme position and unintended consequences – Would a woman who doesn’t know she’s pregnant be committing child abuse by sipping a cocktail? What would fertility doctors do with the scores of fertilized eggs in their laboratories once they are considered people with rights equivalent to adults? -- the amendment’s supporters are unfazed and will try again on the 2010 ballot. Burton is not currently involved in the push to reconsider the personhood amendment.
This time, the personhood initiative supporters plan to be better funded, and they will be helped in this mission by Personhood USA , a coalition to support personhood amendments across the nation. The organization also plans to be better prepared to defend their position this time around, and they have changed the language to close loopholes that could potentially allow cloning. Pro-choice activists have stated they will continue to fight any personhood amendment by educating voters about the consequences of such extreme legislation.
Comments
The problem is that those who disagree with this have no way of defining what makes a 'human'. It's whenever they find it convenient.
The logical and consistent way to do things is to define all living humans (including those recently fertilized) as people until the antis can define otherwise.
Rasputin, are you yourself or are you the partner of a sexually active and fertile female? I assume you sift through the menstrual discharge each month to detect fertilized eggs that failed to implant in the uterus? Surely you'd search through a dumpster if you thought a six pound human child had been cast away? I just hope you are being consistent in your treatment of all living humans.
Gray areas may not lend themselves to simple and easy analysis, but sadly the world is full of them.
Yes, People have rights. And Yes, even YOU began at some point. So did you not deserve to have your rights protected when you began? Or will now the government decide that your rights do not need to be protected at some other point in your life? Woman's right to choose? Half the unborn children are female, where's their choice and who will speak for their rights?
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For More Info about Personhood Amendments around the U.S.: www.PersonhoodAmendments.com
submitted by: Pro-Life Dave
www.ProLifeDave.com
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