Mississippi resident and post-abortive mother Anne Reed filed a Life at Conception Citizen’s Initiative Wednesday.
“The right to life begins at conception,” the amendment states. “All human beings, at every stage of development, are unique, created in God’s image and shall have equal rights as persons under the law.”
“This amendment is a common-sense approach to protecting both babies and women from the devastation of abortion,” Reed said. “I was a volunteer for personhood in the last election, and I believe it is critical that we try again. This time we intend to fight back against the lies of our wealthy pro-abortion opponents. We will be proactive in educating Mississippi voters as to the full intent and resulting effects of this amendment.”
The new amendment, filed Wednesday, will go to the secretary of state’s office. Once the ballot title and summary have been finalized, ballot sponsors will have 12 months to collect nearly 108,000 signatures.
In 2010, Personhood Mississippi submitted about 40,000 signatures more than the required number.
“When abortion was legalized in Mississippi, there was very little information available about the child in the womb,” explained Jennifer Mason, Personhood USA spokesperson. “Since 1973 there have been amazing developments in technology and medicine. We now know without question that the child in the womb is not just tissue, but a living, growing human being. Women deserve better than outdated speculation about pregnancy. The question is not whether or not the child in the womb is a person—the question is whether or not we will protect them.”
Liberty Counsel’s renowned Constitutional Attorney Steve Crampton added: “There is nothing controversial about these propositions. Our opponents will try to scare voters with ridiculous hypotheticals about what this amendment will do. I want to set the record straight about what it won’t do.
“The Personhood Amendment won’t ban in vitro fertilization; it won’t ban contraception; it won’t deny health care to women; and it won’t put doctors at risk of prosecution for unintended injury to an unborn child. What it will do is recognize the most basic of all human rights, the right to life, for all human beings, born and unborn.”
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