Roundup: Activists In Colorado Campaigning Hard For Personhood

Colorado is fighting over the "personhood" of fertilized eggs, with a new high profile politician joining the mix, and a former teen star says some questionable things about homebirths.

The campaign in Colorado over the idea that a fertilized egg is a person is already reaching fevered heights.  But as one editorial from the Aurora Sentinel states, is ridiculous that there is a campaign at all.

There’s no need for Colorado voters to wait for a deep analysis closer to Election Day to know that Amendment 62 is deeply flawed.

Anti-abortion extremists have descended again on the state, hoping to persuade unsuspecting voters that their initiative, back for the second time, offers a good way to reduce the number of abortions in Colorado, and the other 40 states this misguided measure appears on the ballot.

The premise, which failed miserable in 2008, would change state law to define “personhood” as the moment of conception.

If this sounds familiar, it is. Colorado voters just last year trounced this notion by a 3-1 margin.

It’s a dangerous and misguided idea that even the most-ardent critics of legalized abortion helped work to defeat last time.

It’s unnecessary. The U.S. Constitution already lays out who the country grants rights to: anyone born of another U.S. citizen; or someone born inside the country.

While science and medicine have helped improve the viability of infant humans by keeping prematurely born babies alive and treating a wide variety of lethal maladies, science and people have agreed for generations that we become “persons” at birth.

The notion that a person is created each and every time a human egg is fertilized is as nonsensical as endowing constitutional rights to female ovaries themselves or uterine cells.

However, Amendment 62 has gotten another high profile backer though in former congressman Tom Tancredo, who declared yesterday that he will be running for governor of Colorado on a third party ticket.  The Denver Daily reports:

Former Congressman Tom Tancredo wants to enforce state immigration laws, reform the state employees’ pension system, limit the power of unions, and let the people vote on all taxes and fees, if elected governor.

 

He also made no apologies for adopting the GOP’s so-called “Platform for Prosperity,” a platform state Republicans rolled out last year in an attempt to unify the party and throw support behind Republican gubernatorial candidate Scott McInnis. Tancredo points out that he co-wrote the platform with State Sen. Josh Penry, R-Grand Junction.

He also said he supports medical marijuana and dispensaries, calling it a necessary “experiment.” And Tancredo said he supports a controversial ballot proposal, Amendment 62 (Personhood), that would essentially ban abortions in Colorado.

Need further evidence that Amendment 62 is really about banning abortion and many forms of birth control, rather than this alleged ideal of “personhood?”  Guess where some of its supporters were earlier this week. 

That’s right, protesting a Catholic hospital, trying to get them to fire a doctor who provides abortions.

Via The Durango Herald News:

Anti-abortion protesters were about 60 strong outside Mercy Regional Medical Center on Thursday to protest the hospital’s affiliation with local obstetrician-gynecologist Richard Grossman.

Protesters waved signs that said such things as “Dr. Grossman is an abortionist” and “Abortion Kills Children,” and others purporting to depict aborted fetuses at drivers entering the hospital’s parking lot. Some drivers honked at the protesters; others revved their engines.

Many speakers urged support of Amendment 62, which will appear on the November ballot. If approved, the measure would define “person” in the Colorado Constitution as “every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.”

Mini Roundup: Blossom is all grown up and all about homebirths.  But she’s also hanging with people who think if a baby doesn’t survive a homebirth, it was “not favored evolutionarily.”  As Joey would say, “Whoa!”

July 29, 2010

Pro-Abortion Elena Kagan Called “Dangerous” as Fourth Republican Backs Her – LifeNews.com

Abortion coverage restricted in high-risk insurance pools – The Hill

Kansas Senate Candidate Todd Tiahrt Gets Pro-Life Group’s Endorsement – LifeNews.com

House bill would ban federal abortion funding – The Hill

Obama agenda: The fallout from Arizona – msnbc.com

US Senate candidate defends anti-abortion stance – El Dorado Times

High-Risk Health Insurance Pool Rules Bar Abortions, Limit Patient Costs – Kaiser Health News

Boxer tries to highlight differences on abortion – San Jose Mercury News

Obama Admin Bows to Pressure, Appears to Limit Abortion Funding in Health Care – LifeNews.com

Today’s Lady News: Federal Abortion-Funding Ban Introduced In Congress – The Frisky

Expelling unwed mothers banned in Philippines – Newsdesk

Editorial: Beware of strangers trying to sell Colorado on personhood – The Aurora Sentinel

“Inappropriate subject matter” – California Catholic Daily

Britain to focus on abortion, contraception in development programs – U.S. Catholic magazine

Abortion Clinic Closes After Doctor Diagnosed With Cancer – KHBS-KHOG Northwest Arkansas

High-risk health insurance pools to bar abortion coverage – MiamiHerald.com

Republicans get everything they want and still demand more – Daily Kos

No plans to make abortion harder: Abbott – Sydney Morning Herald

Perriello: Group’s claim that bill would fund abortions wrong – Lynchburg News and Advance

Theologian argues against morality of contraception – Houston Chronicle

Students get to talking about sex and babies – TODAYonline

Funding Planned Parenthood is Unconstitutional: Senator – NBC Dallas-Fort Worth

Governor Christie’s Family Planning Veto — New Jersey’s Women Take the Heat – Huffington Post

Uganda needs new strategies to combat HIV – New Vision

Women, The Silent Bearers of HIV Burdens – MediaGlobal

Female Condoms, HIV Prevention: Will New Version Be Hit…or Dud? – CBS News

Condom use cuts men’s HPV risk – NDTV.com

Banks, Babies and Biases – Huffington Post

How old is too old? Pregnancy in older women investigated – WTVR

Chained Childbirth – Reason Online

The endless protest – Milwaukee News Buzz

July 30, 2010

Anti-abortion advocates protest local OB/GYN’s ties to Mercy – The Durango Herald

‘Tanc Tough’ Tancredo makes it official – Denver Daily News

In Michigan governor race, GOP has 3-way toss-up – Detroit Free Press

Charge: US promoting abortion in Kenya – BP News

Family planning prevents abortion – HeraldNet

Abortion advocates caught off guard – Politico

Group Opposing Alaska Parental Notification Initiative Reports More Money Than … – Medical News Today

UK announces ‘unprecedented focus’ on contraception, ‘safe’ abortion in aid to … – Catholic Culture

NJ Family Planning Clinics Cut Services Following Christie’s Budget Veto – Medical News Today

CA Experts Dispute Report That Claims Circumcision Could Halt HIV Cases – Public News Service

HIV/AIDS patients will get their medications after all – NorthJersey.com

Study: Family Values Turned Upside Down? – Public News Service