Colorado's Pro-life Personhood Amendment Defeated

Similar personhood campaigns have already been initiated in 16 other states.

DENVER, CO (LifeSiteNews) - Colorado's ballot initiative Amendment 48 was defeated Tuesday by a large 73.5% to 26.5% majority. The amendment would have made Colorado the first state to define personhood as beginning at conception.

Colorado for Equal Rights, the organization responsible for the initiative, succeeded in putting the amendment on yesterday's ballot by gaining well over the approximately 76,000 necessary signatures needed on a state-wide petition last May. The initial momentum behind the measure waned in the weeks leading up to the election, however, and polls showed it trailing by more than a 2-to-1 ratio, as LifeSiteNews reported last week.

The historic amendment initative, however, has sparked nation-wide interest, and promises to change the face of the pro-life movement. "The personhood fire began in Colorado and has now ignited personhood campaigns in 16 states," Judie Brown of the American Life League said in a media release today.

Brown continued, "We are inspired by Kristi Burton's efforts in Colorado and plan to champion personhood movements at both the state and federal levels. Indeed, for the babies, personhood is the only defense against the dual threats posed by the Freedom of Choice Act, which President-elect Barack Obama has pledged to sign into law, and the Prevention First Act, which he cosponsored."

"These acts would eliminate the possibility of any incremental restrictions on abortion and leave us only one viable option to end the assault on human life: a personhood amendment to the United States Constitution," Brown concluded.

Kristi Burton is the law student who spearheaded the Personhood Amendment and founded Colorado for Equal Rights. She was unavailable for comment.

The Colorado Personhood Amendment was defeated at the ballot box but organizers say that the victory had already been had in that the amendment pioneered the State by State Personhood effort.

A new pro-life movement called Personhood USA is one of the fruits of Amendment 48. Personhood USA plans to assist local pro-life groups in different states to put personhood amendments on their state's ballot by using the petition process. It will also help with opinion petitions to encourage politicians to run personhood amendments in other states.

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