Embryo Personhood Amendment to Be Voted on in Mississippi

Jackson, Mississippi – Voters in Mississippi were asked to vote on whether or not a state constitutional amendment should give personhood to a fetus. If it passes it will be the first win in the battle to make abortions illegal.

If it passes it will find itself at odds with Roe v. Wade, the U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing a woman to get an abortion. It seeks "to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof" as a person.

Backed by Personhood USA the measure “could send shockwaves around the country if it wins” said Keith Mason, the group's co-founder. It's also trying to put similar bills on ballots in Florida, Oregon, Montana, and Ohio. A similar tactic in Colorado failed twice – once in 2008 and again in 2010.

Republican governor Haley Barbour is one of the many pro-life people who is raising questions about the actual consequences. "Some very strongly pro-life people have raised questions about the ambiguity and about the actual consequences — whether there are unforeseen, unintended consequences. And I'll have to say that I have heard those concerns and they give me some pause," he said last week.

The split is also felt between religious groups. The Mississippi Baptist Convention is backing the ban while the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi and the General Conference of the United Methodist Church oppose it. Another religious group, the Catholic Diocese of Jackson is remains neutral on the issue. Mississippi's State Medical Association is also taking a neutral stance while other medical groups are against it.

The amendment could make birth control illegal and deter physicians from performing in-vitro fertilization due to possible criminal charges if the embryo doesn't survive, say opponents. They also claimed supporters are forcing their religious views on others by forcing women to go through with unwanted pregnancies.

Currently tough regulations on abortions and only one clinic performing them makes Mississippi a good proving ground for social conservatives who want to get in state abortion bans throughout the country.

Both Democrat and Republican candidates for governor are supportive of the abortion ban measure.

Update: Thankfully Mississippi voters struck down the proposed legislation.