Mississippians to Vote on "Personhood Amendment" on November 8th
September 25, 2011 - 7:10pm / madison.shook
On November 8th, Mississippians will be voting for their elected officials, as well as on a citizens initiative to amend the state constitution - The “Life Begins at the Moment of Fertilization Amendment”, Initiative 26. This would add to the Mississippi Constitution that life begins at “the moment of fertilization”. Supporters of the initiative say the measure is “intended to protect all life, regardless of age, health, function, physical or mental dependency, or method of reproduction”.
In April of 2010, Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann granted the initiative to appear on the ballot for the 2011 general elections, declaring 106,325 signatures had been acquired, exceeding the 89,285 requirement. The initiative reads: should the term ‘person’ be defined to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof. Personhood Mississippi, the main group in support of this measure, claims this would outlaw abortion, cloning and begin the process to overturn the Roe v. Wade decision. Currently, Mississippi requires a 24 hour waiting period, both parental signatures for minors, and there is only one abortion clinic in the state. Proponents claim, if passed, the Personhood Amendment would not only outlaw abortion and cloning, but also birth control and in vitro fertilization, and those who have miscarriages could be punished by law.
What are your thoughts on Initiative 26? Will it pass? Could this pass in other states in years to come?
