| About this site |
| About us |
| Our beliefs |
| Your first visit? |
| Contact us |
| External links |
| Good books |
| Visitor essays |
| Our forum |
| New essays |
| Other site features |
| Buy a CD |
| Vital notes |
| Non-theistic... |
| Atheism |
| Agnosticism |
| Humanism |
| Other |
| Spiritual/ethics |
| Spirituality |
| Morality/ethics |
| Absolute truth |
| Peace/conflict |
| Attaining peace |
| Religious tolerance |
| Religious hatred |
| Religious conflict |
| Religious violence |
| Laws and news |
| Religious laws |
| Religious news |
|
|
 | All abortions would be criminalized, including those needed to save the woman from death or permanent crippling disability. |
| Ectopic pregnancies (a.k.a. tubal pregnancies) could not be terminated. Ectopic means "out of place." It involves an embryo that implants itself outside the uterus -- most commonly in a fallopian tube. According to the KidsHealth web site: |
"As the embryo grows, it will eventually burst the organ that contains it. This can cause severe bleeding and endanger the mother's life." 5
Treatment involves the removal and resultant death of the embryo. The only alternative is to do nothing, and allow both the woman and embryo to inevitably die.
| The use of emergency contraception, commonly called the morning-after pill, because there is a small possibility that it will prevent a fertilized ovum from implanting itself in the wall of the womb. |
| The use of IUDs as a birth control technique, because they can prevent an existing fertilized ovum from implanting. |
| The practice in infertility clinics of discarding surplus embryos. These clinics often harvest 20 or so ova, fertilize them, and select about three of the healthiest embryos for implantation. The rest are either frozen for future use or discarded. Freezing results in the deaths of some embryos, either at the time of freezing, or later if the embryos are thawed out. The clinic would be forced to implant every embryo that they produce, even if it is defective. |
| The extraction of stem cells from embryos donated for research by the parents would be criminalized. |
| Pre-implantation Genetic Diagnosis which prevents birth defects by eliminating defective embryos would also be criminalized. |
| Treatments and cures for debilitating diseases and disorders through the use of embryonic stem cells might be criminalized. |
Reactions:
| Colorado for Equal Rights states: |
"This amendment will establish a cornerstone for protecting human life in our society... and we all know this is the right thing to do. This campaign is not about the power of money... it is about the power of truth. We are giving Colorado voters an opportunity to vote their conscience and protect the most innocent and helpless ones among us. If life is protected from the very beginning, Colorado for Equal Rights believes that we can transform our nation from a culture of death into a culture of life. Therefore, we are taking the necessary action to allow Coloradoans to guarantee every person equal rights under our laws." 6
| An article in the Socialist Worker states:
|
| KMGH-TV conducted an informal poll among visitors to its web site. They asked "Do you consider a fertilized egg a person?" By the end of 2007-NOV, 3,076 votes were cast: 47% voted yes; 47% voted no, and 6% were undecided. 4 |
If passed the referendum would undoubtedly be challenged in court. That could eventually result in the U.S. Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. Conceivably, the court could affirm that human personhood begins at conception and thus criminalize abortions everywhere in the U.S.
Related essays:
References:
The following information sources were used to prepare and update the above essay. The hyperlinks are not necessarily still active today.
- "Language of Colorado's Human Life Amendment," Colorado for Equal Rights, at: http://www.coloradoforequalrights.com/
- "Colorado Supreme Court gives green light to restore personhood to the unborn," Colorado for equal rights, 2007-NOV-13, at: http://www.coloradoforequalrights.com/
- "Giving equal rights to frozen embryos?," Socialist Worker, 2007-NOV-30, at: http://www.socialistworker.org/
- "Court: Wording Of Anti-Abortion Measure Is Legal. Ballot Measure Would Define Fertilized Egg As Person," KMGH-TV Denver, CO, 2007-NOV-13, at: http://www.thedenverchannel.com/
- "Ectopic Pregnancy," Kids Health for Parents, 2004-MAY, at: http://www.kidshealth.org/
- "Life Counts!," Colorado for Equal Rights, at: http://www.coloradoforequalrights.com/
|
Home page > "Hot" topics > Abortion > Legal aspects > here |
Copyright © 2007 by Ontario Consultants on
Religious Tolerance
Original posting: 2007-NOV-30
Latest update: 2007-NOV-30
Author: B.A. Robinson
|
|
