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Montana Personhood Definition Amendment (2016)
| Not on Ballot |
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| This measure was not put on an election ballot |
| Voting on Abortion |
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| Ballot Measures |
| By state |
| By year |
| Not on ballot |
The Montana Personhood Definition Amendment did not make the November 8, 2016 ballot in Montana as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment.
The measure would have defined a "person" as "all members of the species Homo sapiens at any stage of development, including the stage of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency."[1]
Supporters, like Annie Bukacek, president of the Montana Prolife Coalition, said the amendment's intent was to prevent abortions.[2]
Rep. Matthew Monforton (R-69) sponsored the amendment, entitled House Bill 425, in the Montana Legislature.[1]
Text of measure
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article II, Montana Constitution
The proposed amendment would have amended Section 17 of Article II of the Montana Constitution. The following underlined text would have been added by the measure's approval:[3]
(1) No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law.
(2) As used in this section, the word "person" applies to all members of the species Homo sapiens at any stage of development, including the stage of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency.
(3) The legislature shall implement this section by appropriate legislation.[4]
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the Montana Constitution
A two-thirds vote the entire Montana Legislature was required for the amendment to be placed on the ballot.
On February 17, 2015, the amendment was narrowly approved by the Montana House Judiciary Committee. All nine Democrats on the committee plus Rep. Kirk Wagoner (R-75) voted against moving the bill forward. The other 11 Republicans voted in favor of the amendment. However, the bill was not taken up again and died in standing committee on April 28, 2015.[5][6]
Related measures
- North Dakota "Life Begins at Conception" Amendment, Measure 1 (2014)
- Colorado Definition of "Personhood" Initiative, Amendment 67 (2014)
- Mississippi Initiative 26, Definition of Person Amendment (2011)
- Colorado Initiative 62, Definition of Person Amendment (2010)
- Colorado Definition of Person, Initiative 48 (2008)
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Montana Legislature, "House Bill 425," accessed February 12, 2015
- ↑ The Montana Standard, "Group seeks anti-abortion amendment to Montana constitution," February 11, 2015
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedtext - ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source.
- ↑ Open States, "HB 425," accessed December 16, 2015
- ↑ KPAX, "Debate on personhood could end up on 2016 ballot," February 17, 2015
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