Backers Of Colo. 'Personhood' Amendment Secure Signatures For Ballot Proposal

Main Category: Abortion
Also Included In: Women's Health / Gynecology;  Sexual Health / STDs
Article Date: 22 Mar 2010 - 2:00 PDT

email to a friend   printer friendly   opinions  

Abortion-rights opponents in Colorado on Thursday said they have enough voter signatures to a put an "abortion-ending" proposal on the ballot this fall asking whether the state constitution should be amended to grant human rights to fetuses, the AP/Boston Globe reports. Colorado voters "soundly rejected" a similar ballot measure in 2008, according to the AP/Globe.

Personhood USA -- a Colorado-based group pushing fetal rights ballot measures in about 40 states -- said it was more difficult to collect signatures in Colorado this year because of a new state law tightening rules on the process that imposes more stringent identification requirements and limits on organizations that pay workers to gather signatures (Wyatt, AP/Boston Globe, 3/18). Earlier this month, the Colorado secretary of state said that the group had not collected enough signatures to qualify for the fall ballot (Women's Health Policy Report, 3/4). However, on Thursday, the group turned in more than 46,000 signatures, meeting the second deadline for the ballot initiative. At least 15,700 of those signatures must be deemed valid for the initiative to qualify for the ballot.

Personhood USA said it also is close to obtaining enough signatures to put such amendments before voters in Mississippi and Montana. Group officials in Colorado said they are confident that they have enough valid signatures and will now focus on trying to secure support for the proposal.

Abortion-rights supporters said they will campaign against the proposal if it qualifies for the ballot (AP/Boston Globe, 3/18).

Reprinted with kind permission from http://www.nationalpartnership.org. You can view the entire Daily Women's Health Policy Report, search the archives, or sign up for email delivery here. The Daily Women's Health Policy Report is a free service of the National Partnership for Women & Families, published by The Advisory Board Company.

© 2010 The Advisory Board Company. All rights reserved.

• Additional
• References
• Citations