Another Failed Attempt to Pass Personhood
This week, Montana joined the growing list of states that attempted, and failed to pass so-called “personhood” amendments over the past two years. The radical anti-choice agenda aims to redefine life as beginning at conception– as opposed to fertilization—thus redefining state constitutions to grant all rights afforded state’s citizens to embryos. The repercussions of such legislation would outlaw not only abortion, but also pose a legal threat to various forms of contraception, as well as the future of in-vitro fertilization and stem-cell research.
The petition put forth by the Montana ProLife Coalition garnered less than half of the signatures needed to place the amendment, CI-108, on the ballot (23,512 out of 48,674 needed). Earlier this month anti-choicers in Ohio also failed to gather the required signatures for a ballot initiative, and Mississippians voted down a similar amendment last November.
Colorado is currently facing personhood efforts this election cycle, although voters have consistently rejected Colorado’s personhood attempts over the last two election cycles. Personhood Colorado has until August 6, to collect the necessary 85,853 signatures, but if the previous two attempts are any indication (it failed by over a 40% margin both times,) it is not likely to pass this year.
