Colorado Fetal Personhood Amendment (2010)
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A Colorado Fetal Personhood Amendment may appear on the 2010 state ballot in Colorado as an initiated constitutional amendment. If so, it would be the second go-around for proposed Amendment 48 which was on the November 2008 statewide ballot in Colorado, where it was decisively defeated.[1]
The 2010 version would amend Article II of the Colorado Constitution by the addition of a new section, Section 32, which would say:
- "Section 32. Person defined. As used in sections 3, 6, and 25 of Article II of the state constitution, the term "person" shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being."
The amendment language was written by Dianne Irving, who is on the faculty of Georgetown University.[2]
The officially-approved ballot title says, "An amendment to the Colorado Constitution applying the term 'person' as used in those provisions of the Colorado Constitution relating to inalienable rights, equality of justice and due process of law, to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being."
Supporters
Two groups are supporting the 2010 effort: Colorado Right to Life and Personhood USA, which has a Colorado branch, Colorado Personhood. Comparing what they plan to do in 2010 versus the 2008 effort, spokespeople for the groups say:
- They will be better-funded.
- They will be better able to articulate their message.
- They will introduce a measure that's more accurately worded.
- Spokespeople for the 2010 proposed amendment will be veterans of the anti-abortion/pro-life movement with more experience than Kristi Burton, who ran the 2008 effort.[3]
2008 proposal vs. 2010
The 2008 version defined a person as "any human being from the moment of fertilization", whereas the 2010 version defines a person as "every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being."[3]
The 2010 proposed amendment does not have the word "fertilization" in it.[2]
According to Gualberto Garcia Jones, Colorado Personhood director and proponent of the initiative, the change in language was made in order to be more "comprehensive in our definition of a person." For example, Jones noted that the new language now accounts for human beings created through asexual reproduction in laboratories. "Fertilization would not have properly applied to asexually reproduced humans, but even asexually reproduced human beings have a definite biological beginning," said Jones.[4]
Opponents
Groups opposing the amendment include:
- National Advocates for Pregnant Women
- Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights, whose spokesperson Jacy Montoya said that the 2008 vote indicated that Colorado voters are "uncomfortable with the government and strangers making personal decisions for families."[3]
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, whose senior vice president Leslie Durgin said, "If this gets on the ballot, we’re prepared to fight it and educate the voters."[2]
- Monica McCafferty of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains said,"The new initiative has the same goal [as Amendment 48], to ban all abortion even in the cases of rape, incest, or when the life of the woman is in danger."[4]
Path to the ballot
A ballot title for the measure was approved on August 5, 2009. Once a ballot title is approved, signature collection can proceed. Supporters will need 76,047 valid signatures to qualify the measure for the November 2010 ballot.[5]
Similiar initiatives elsewhere
Personhood USA is tracking and supporting similar ballot initiatives in Mississippi, Oregon and Montana.[2]
External links
Supporters
Opponents
- Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
- Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights
Additional reading
References
- ↑ PersonhoodUSA press release announcing the campaign for the proposed amendment
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Colorado Statesman, "Personhood amendment revised and revived", July 3, 2009
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Colorado Springs Gazette, "Groups to make another try for 'personhood' measure", June 29, 2009
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 The Colorado Independent,"Personhood initiative lining up friends and foes," October 27, 2009
- ↑ Denver Post, "Colorado "Personhood" proposal's 2010 ballot title approved", August 6, 2009
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