Shortly after a year since its founding, Personhood USA is working with 32 states on constitutional "personhood" amendments which declare that human life begins at inception and, regardless of its health or means of creation (i.e, rape or incest), this form of human life has full legal rights at inception. In other words, zygotes — or fertilized eggs — are considered to be human beings having due process rights that are separate from those of pregnant women.
These measures obviously seek to overturn Roe v. Wade but may create legal problems for women.
Most of the personhood efforts are ballot initiatives that would amend state constitutions, although states such as Hawaii are introducing the personhood laws as legislative measures.
Personhood's goal is to have personhood initiatives in all 50 states by the 2010 elections. According to its press release,
"Our goal has been to serve Jesus Christ and offer support to grassroots pro-lifers," stated Cal Zastrow, co-founder of Personhood USA. "Personhood USA exists to support, encourage, and assist Personhood movements across the country. We are excited to keep this fight against the dehumanization and murder of preborn children moving forward."
These pre-initiative measures are not without challenge. In Nevada, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and others have filed a lawsuit challenging the initiative because it does not explain to voters what the initiative will do:
According to the petition, persons or human beings "include everyone possessing a human genome specific for an individual member of the human specifies, from the beginning of his or her biological development, without discrimination as to age, health, reproduction method, function, physical or mental dependency or cognitive ability."
This image, taken from Wikipedia, shows a newborn baby that has anencephaly.
The language suggests that seriously disabled fetuses with little likelihood of survival, such as those with anencephaly, must be carried to term.
According to the Nevada Review Journal, ACLU attorney Maggie McLetchie said, 'Under the petition, fetuses could sue and be sued. What they are proposing is so radical and would clog up the courts.' She said the petition could even ban birth control pills and emergency contraception.
An opinion published in Montana's Great Falls Tribune is critical of CI-102, a personhood amendment that would change the state's constitution. Travis McAdam writes about Former Rep. Rick Jore, now a board member of the Montana Pro-Life Coalition:
On the floor of the Montana House in 2007, Jore said measures like CI-102 would be used to launch criminal investigations of women who experienced miscarriages.
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