CO "Personhood Amendment" Challenged
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September 10, 2008
Denver, CO - They say the "Personhood Amendment" goes too far and could be dangerous for women and families in Colorado, so the "No on 48" campaign is holding a rally against it today in Denver. The campaign is being carried on by a coalition of groups that oppose the ballot measure called the "Personhood Amendment," which would define a fertilized egg as a "person" with full legal rights.
Vicki Cowart with Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains says it would give government all sorts of new authority.
"We will be tied up. We will have government intruding on our lives in unimaginable ways."
Supporters of the amendment say human life begins at conception and a fertilized egg should be given equal rights. They say they're backed by a group of more than 70 individual doctors and pharmacists who are in favor of the initiative.
But opponents include a broad bi-partisan coalition of groups, including doctors, nurses and people of faith, according to Cowart.
"There's a wide cross-section of Coloradans who see this as a really dangerous idea. It's being pushed in a deceptive way. It sounds simple, but when examined closely, it's very extreme."
Cowart says it would create all sort of legal problems, such as the scenario of a woman seeking emergency contraception in a case of rape or incest, or when a woman's health is threatened.
"Would she now have to get a court order allowing her access to that, because that fertilized egg is equivalent to her in terms of equal rights?"
The measure will be on the Colorado ballot in November.
More information on the group's campaign can be found at
protectfamiliesprotectchoices.org.