Mississippi considers anti-abortion 'personhood amendment'

[n2doc]

The anti-abortion movement's tactic known as a "personhood amendment," which legally defines a person as existing at the moment of fertilization, has been rejected twice in recent years by voters in Colorado.

But the effort has found new life in Mississippi, where a personhood amendment will appear on the Nov. 8 ballot. Mississippi is, by some measures, the nation's most conservative state, and the proposal has earned the support of both the Democratic and Republican candidates for governor, the majority of attorney general candidates, and a host of other state leaders.

If Proposition 26 passes, abortion foes hope it will build momentum for a broader national assault on Roe vs. Wade. Supporters say similar propositions will be featured on ballots in Florida, South Dakota and Ohio in 2012.

Both sides in the debate agree that the measure would outlaw abortion, even in the cases of rape and incest. But there is disagreement about what other, potentially wide-ranging effects it may have.


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http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/nationnow/2011/10/mississippi_personhood_amendment.html

Personhood USA, which spearheaded the Colorado ballot measures, is heading up the Mississippi effort. The liberal investigative magazine Mother Jones notes that another major player this time around is a man named Les Riley, founder of the group Personhood Mississippi. Riley, the magazine reported, is a neo-secessionist who "once supported an effort to form an independent theocratic republic in South Carolina."

[Zoeisright]

1. That is unconstitutional.

Meanwhile, Mississippi has some of the highest levels of poverty in the nation. What the fuck are repukes doing about that? Oh, that's right. NOTHING.

[Tesha]

5. How do you figure that a constitutional amendment can be "unconstitutional"?

And if the religious right really wants to end
abortion, this is the way to do it.

It's absolutely the wrong politics, of course:
by actually ending abortion rather than merely
forever talking about ending it, not only do
the Republicans lose one of their favorite
"dog whistles", but they just might finally
piss off Republican women.

Tesha

[RKP5637]

2. Mississippi - yep, sounds fitting for Mississippi. n/t

[bluestateguy]

3. It will pass

Of course, it won't be enforceable, but it will pass.

[MedicalAdmin]

4. This is not good.

Let's say there is a psychopathic nutcase who decides to have lots of children by becoming a serial rapist?

Will those victims be forced to carry to term and raise the child? What about wives who are being raped or abused? WIll they be tied to their abuser for life because of the child?

[n2doc]

6. kick n/t

[phylny]

7. Every pregnant woman should take out a million dollar

life insurance policy on their one-week old fetuses. Had I done that, I'd be $3 million richer, because I had miscarriages.

Surely the insurance companies would have to recognize the persons, right?