North Dakota Measure 1, Right to Life of Humans at Any Stage of Development Amendment (2014)
| North Dakota Measure 1 | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Election date November 4, 2014 | |
| Topic Abortion | |
Status Defeated | |
| Type Constitutional amendment | Origin State legislature |
North Dakota Measure 1, the Right to Life of Humans at Any Stage of Development Amendment, was on the ballot in North Dakota as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on November 4, 2014. The ballot measure was defeated.
A "yes" vote supported amending the North Dakota Constitution to state that "[the] inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected." |
A "no" vote opposed amending the North Dakota Constitution to state that "[the] inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected." |
Election results
|
North Dakota Measure 1 |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Result | Votes | Percentage | ||
| Yes | 90,224 | 35.87% | ||
|
|
161,303 | 64.13% | ||
Text of measure
Ballot title
The ballot title was as follows:[1]
| “ |
This constitutional measure would create and enact a new section to Article I of the North Dakota Constitution that would state “The inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected.” YES - means you approve the measure stated above. NO - means you reject the measure stated above. [2] |
” |
Constitutional changes
- See also: Article I, North Dakota Constitution
Measure 1 would have added a new section to Article I of the Constitution of North Dakota. The following underlined text would have been added:[3]
The inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected.[2]
Support
North Dakota Choose Life led the campaign in support of Measure 1.[4] Supporters referred to the measure as the Human Life Amendment.[5]
Supporters
Officials
- U.S. Sen. John Hoeven (R)[6]
- State Sen. Margaret Sitte (R-35)[3]
- State Sen. Larry Luick (R-25)[3]
- State Sen. Jessica Unruh (R-33)[3]
- State Rep. Charles Damschen (R-10)[3]
- State Rep. Brenda Heller (R-33)[3]
- State Rep. Karen Rohr (R-33)[3]
Organizations
- North Dakota Family Alliance[7]
- Concerned Women for America, ND Chapter[7]
- North Dakota Life League[7]
- North Dakota Catholic Physicians Group[7]
- North Dakota Right to Life[7]
- North Dakota Catholic Radio[7]
- North Dakota Catholic Conference[7]
Arguments
Campaign contributions
Supporters had received $585,632 in contributions as of December 3, 2014.[8]
PAC info:
| PAC | Amount raised | Amount spent |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakota Choose Life | $578,402 | $409,879 |
| Yes On 1 | $7,230 | $6,148 |
| Total | $585,632 | $416,027 |
Top 10 contributors:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| North Dakota Catholic Conference | $186,000 |
| Wanzek Family Foundation | $50,000 |
| George Loegering | $50,000 |
| ND Right to Life | $30,050 |
| Patricia Pflugrath | $25,000 |
| J and P Livestock | $25,000 |
| PCS | $20,000 |
| Dwight Grotberg | $10,250 |
| Gretchen Hoffman | $10,000 |
| Ann Dahl | $10,000 |
Opposition
North Dakotans Against Measure 1 led the campaign in opposition to Measure 1.[9]
Opponents
Officials
- U.S. Sen. Heidi Heitkamp (D)[9]
- State Sen. Connie Triplett (D-18)[10]
- State Rep. Kathy Hawken (R-46)[11]
Organizations
- Planned Parenthood MN, ND, SD Action Fund[12]
- North Dakota Women's Network[12]
- Feminist Majority Foundation[12]
- ACLU of North Dakota[12]
- North Dakota Coalition for Privacy in Healthcare[13]
- Northern Plains Conference of the United Church of Christ[14]
- North Dakota Libertarian Party[15]
Arguments
Campaign contributions
Opponents had received $824,487 in contributions as of December 3, 2014.[12]
PAC info:
| PAC | Amount raised | Amount spent |
|---|---|---|
| North Dakotans Against Measure 1 | $815,237 | $586,837 |
| North Dakota Students Voting No on 1 | $9,250 | $2,438 |
| Total | $824,487 | $589,275 |
Top 10 contributors:
| Donor | Amount |
|---|---|
| Planned Parenthood MN, ND, SD Action Fund | $698,275 |
| Community Action Fund of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties | $25,000 |
| Planned Parenthood of Illinois | $25,000 |
| The North Dakota Women's Network | $12,596 |
| Feminist Majority Foundation | $9,250 |
| ACLU-ND | $7,154 |
| Planned Parenthood Association of Utah | $5,000 |
| Planned Parenthood of Montana | $2,875 |
| Steffen and Jan Christensen | $2,202 |
| Stephanie Dahl | $2,200 |
Media editorial positions
Opposition
- Forum Communications Co. said, "Measure 1, the so-called 'personhood amendment' has the distinction of being the most purposefully ambiguous measure ever on a North Dakota ballot. Put there by a misguided and manipulated majority of the Legislature, Measure 1’s seemingly simple and straightforward language is, in effect, an invitation to endless litigation. Moreover, it would allow the heavy hand of government to intrude needlessly into the most personal medical decisions made by families and individuals in consultation with doctors and, if desired, with clergy."[16]
- Minneapolis Star Tribune said, "It’s unclear at best what the state gains by adding Measure 1’s language to its constitution. In addition, many respected medical providers and organizations have raised legitimate concerns about the amendment’s potential to interfere with personal medical choices, such as end-of-life-care decisions and even fertility treatments. Among the groups opposing the initiative: the North Dakota Medical Association, which represents state doctors."[17]
- Williston Herald said, "North Dakotans should vote 'No' on Measure 1 and ensure that government and religious authorities remain out of personal medical decisions at the beginning and end of life."[18]
Polls
- See also: Polls, 2014 ballot measures
| North Dakota Measure 1 (2014) | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Poll | Favor | Oppose | Undecided | Margin of error | Sample size | ||||||||||||||
| University of North Dakota College of Business and Public Administration 9/26/2014 - 10/03/2014 | 49.9% | 33.0% | 17.1% | +/-5.0 | 505 | ||||||||||||||
| Note: The polls above may not reflect all polls that have been conducted in this race. Those displayed are a random sampling chosen by Ballotpedia staff. If you would like to nominate another poll for inclusion in the table, send an email to editor@ballotpedia.org. | |||||||||||||||||||
Path to the ballot
- See also: Amending the North Dakota Constitution
In North Dakota, a simple majority vote is required in each chamber of the state Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot.
The constitutional amendment was introduced as Senate Concurrent Resolution 4009 (SCR 4009). On February 7, 2013, the North Dakota Senate passed the resolution.[10] On March 22, 2013, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed the resolution.[19]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Official Ballot Language for Measures Appearing on the Election Ballot," accessed September 4, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source. Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "quotedisclaimer" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 North Dakota Legislature, "Senate Concurrent Resolution No. 4009," accessed January 21, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Choose Life, "Homepage," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Choose Life, "About," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ Bismarck Tribune, "Hoevens support Measure 1," September 5, 2014
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 7.6 North Dakota Choose Life, "Endorsements," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ North Dakota Secretary of State, "Yes On 1," accessed October 8, 2014
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 North Dakotans Against Measure 1, "Homepage," accessed September 2, 2014
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Reuters, "North Dakota anti-abortion amendment for state ballot clears senate," February 7, 2013
- ↑ Huffington Post, "North Dakota Republican Pols To Protest Anti-Abortion Laws: 'We Have Stepped Over The Line," March 21, 2013
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 12.3 12.4 North Dakota Secretary of State, "North Dakotans Against Measure 1," accessed October 8, 2014
- ↑ The North Dakota Coalition for Privacy in Healthcare, "Homepage," accessed November 12, 2014
- ↑ Bismarck Tribune, "Church delegates question 'life' ballot measure," June 18, 2014
- ↑ The Pierce County Tribune, "Libertarian Party opposes Measure 1," September 26, 2014
- ↑ Jamestown Sun, "Vote ‘no’ on ‘personhood’ amendment," October 7, 2014
- ↑ Minneapolis Star Tribune, "An attack on abortion rights in North Dakota," October 10, 2014
- ↑ Williston Herald, "Measure 1: ‘No’ on life amendment," October 24, 2014
- ↑ Arizona Daily Star, "ND to vote on referendum effectively banning abortions," March 22, 2013
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