User:WaitingforGodot/personhood amendments

Personhood Amendments are attempts by the Pro-life movement to enshrine "legal personhood" status on unborn babies, generally from conception on. The obvious attempt is to bypass Roe v. Wade and make all abortion illegal.

History
The debate about the legal status of a fetus has been ongoing since laws were first written. Historically, in the Judeo-Christian world view, the fetus was not at all even human until "quickening" (generally 40 days in Jewish thought). It was not a legal person until it had taken its first breath. Throughout most of the modern western world's history, the baby had no legal status until it was born. Should a woman miscarry, even at the hands of another in a violent act, the miscarriage was a sad event, but carried no legal penalty other than the abuse of or harm to the woman.

When Roe v. Wade was adjudicated, the fetus was given limited rights after it had reached an age where it could survive outside the womb. At that point, states could decide that such a fetus carried equal rights to the use of the mother's body, and therefore, bans on abortions after the 2nd trimester could be enacted to protect the fetus' rights.

However, for the pro-life movement, this was not sufficient. The "baby" as both embro and fetus, should always have equal rights (or even more rights) to the use of the mother's body than the mother has. The only way to accomplish this is to define the fetus as a Legal Person at the time of conception.

Description of the language
Colorado's "personhood amendment", written in 2010 states "Section 32. Person defined. As used in sections 3*, 6**, and 25*** of Article II of the state constitution, the term "person" shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being."

The 2012 amendments for Nevada is extremely vague and does not specify what effects such a change to the law will generate: In the great state of Nevada, the term 'person' applies to every human being." It's slightly unclear that this is even an attempt to define an unborn as a person, though the entire state is aware that this is the goal.

Florida and Minnisota have language similar to Colorado's : SECTION 28. Person Defined: (a)The words "person" and "natural person" apply to all human beings, irrespective of age, race, health, function, condition of physical and/or mental dependency and/or disability, or method of reproduction, from the beginning of biological development of that human being."

The proposed Georgia measure adds a single, critical line "a person from conception until natural death". This unique language has implications to the other end of the human life spectrum, intentional or otherwise.

Personhood Colorado, USA
The driving force (read: money) behind the various personhood moves in the US, is Personhood USA who's page is filled with the exact same hyperbole of the mass murder of millions, the enslavement of fetus (yes, enslavement), and the genocide common at any pro-life site. The group on it's site, admits to watching each election, and carefully noting how each argument went, then moving on to the next set of elections until they finally find language that passes through the Electorate.

They make the claim that they are actively pursuing full personhood amendments in each and every state, and suggest that they will have a measure on every state's ballot by 2016

Because Personhood USA is a Political group, they do not have to disclose who is providing the funds for these national battles. Their walls are filled with everyday facebook faces, but media outlets and opposition have questioned where the real funding is coming from.