Colorado to Vote on Personhood Amendment

Special Report - August 18, 2008
The citizens of Colorado will go to the polls this November to vote on a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to define a “person” under Colorado law as “any human being from the moment of fertilization.” If the measure passes, unborn children in Colorado would be protected under the state’s constitution, ultimately laying the groundwork for abortion in that state to be outlawed.

Amendment 48, also known as the “Personhood Amendment,” is sponsored by the pro-life group, Colorado for Equal Rights, and has the support of many physicians and pharmacists nationwide, including a recent endorsement from Focus on the Family Action. It asks voters in Colorado to vote “yes” or “no” on the following ballot question: “Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution defining the term ‘person’ to include any human being from the moment of fertilization as “person” is used in those provisions of the Colorado constitution relating to inalienable rights, equality of justice, and due process of law?”

Abortion activists in Colorado are working hard to defeat the measure. “This amendment could make abortion illegal, even in cases of rape, incest, or when the life or health of a woman is at risk,” warned Protect Families Protect Choice, a coalition of pro-abortion medical professionals and legal advocacy groups opposed to Amendment 48, in a statement. “Its backers are clear: their ultimate goal is overturning Roe v. Wade. Yet, the amendment is worded so vaguely that its true effect is difficult to predict. It may encroach on everything from birth control, to stem cell research, to inheritance rights.”

According to Colorado for Equal Rights, over 100,000 citizens signed a petition to get the pro-life amendment on the November ballot, even though only about 76,000 signatures are required under state law. “The people of Colorado have spoken, the Secretary of State's Office has certified our signatures, and our equal rights amendment will be on November's ballot,” said Kristi Burton, the initiative’s creator, in a press release. “All humans should be protected by love and by law, and this amendment is a historic effort to ensure equal rights for every person.”

Copyright © 2008. North Carolina Family Policy Council. All rights reserved.