Tough Break: Personhood Can’t Even Make The Ballot In Colorado

personhoodPersonhood may be an official platform of the Republican party, but it’s having a difficult time putting that status into work in the states. The Personhood initiative, which seeks to define a fertilized egg as a person with full human rights, has failed to receive enough signatures to qualify for a ballot measure in Colorado.

This is the third time that Colorado residents have gone against the controversial and extreme measure. The two previous times in 2008 and 2010, the proposal made it on to the ballot, only to be struck down by the vote. This time, the petitions came up about 4,000 signatures short of making it to the election at all.

Personhood USA, who supports and backs these attempts, says that they are challenging the initial counting of the signatures. They believe that they had enough signatures and that the discrepancy is perhaps from a notary error.

While the beginning of the year made it seem like Personhood was advancing on several fronts, it’s been beaten down in many areas before November even rolls around. After it’s defeat in Mississippi last year, the plan moved into Ohio, Arkansas, Nevada and of course, Colorado. Since then, judges have struck down the measure, or it’s failed to gain substantial support.

Personhood isn’t just an anti-abortion bill. It wouldn’t just remove the rights of women to make their own reproductive choices with regards to pregnancy. It would eliminate several popular forms of birth control. And it would severely limit access to in vitro fertilization for couples who are looking to grow their families.

The new loss in Colorado is especially disheartening for the Personhood movement. They began working in Colorado and have been active there for the longest amount of time. Not to mention, the Republican platform should have given the initiative a little boost. After all, a major political party has embraced this idea and proposed to make it a federal mandate. One would think that Personhood should be able to make it in a single state. Or at least onto the ballot.

The fact is that while life beginning at conception might sound like a basic idea, it would be an extreme change in many different areas of women’s lives. It would turn every pregnancy into a potential legal matter. It would severely complicate issues when a woman’s life or health is in danger due her pregnancy.

Personhood isn’t just a pro-choice versus pro-life matter. It stretches much further than abortion. That’s why each victory or defeat is so important. And that’s why it’s good to hear that Colorado turned down this measure before it ever reached the ballot.

(Photo: Tsekhmister/Shutterstock)

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