WHAT DOES THIS AMENDMENT SAY?

This fall, Colorado voters will be asked: Shall there be an amendment to the Colorado constitution defining the term "person", as used in those provisions of the Colorado constitution relating to inalienable rights, equality of justice, and due process of law, to include any human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being?

IS THIS AMENDMENT NEW?

No. In fact, Colorado voters defeated a similar constitutional amendment by a 73-27% margin just 2 years ago. That amendment would have given constitutional rights to all fertilized eggs; the 2010 version would do so at the beginning of biological development. But just like the 2008 measure Colorado voters already resoundingly rejected, this vague amendment would ... [choose from the list below]

WHAT WOULD THIS AMENDMENT DO?

This amendment would interject the government, lawyers, and
courts in our personal lives

• This amendment will affect important life decisions that should be made by individuals, their doctors, and families, not extremists rewriting the state constitution.
• This amendment would eliminate a woman's right to make personal private decisions about her own body and her health.
• A woman should have the right to make decisions about her own health care with her doctor and family without government intrusion. We need to protect the sanctity and privacy of the doctor-patient relationship.

This amendment simply goes too far

• This measure would ban all abortion—even for victims of rape and incest, or when a woman's life is at risk.
• The true goal of this amendment is to criminalize all abortions, making them all illegal. If we grant legal rights from the beginning of biological development, having an abortion could be considered murder. This would make criminals out of a woman and her doctor.
• The extremists behind this amendment have worked to make Colorado "ground zero" in the abortion debate. Colorado has important issues to deal with such as education, health care, the economy, and transportation. We don't need a constitutional amendment criminalizing abortion.
• This amendment would affect thousands of laws
• This amendment would impact literally thousands of laws—from when property rights are granted, to inheritance rights, to who can file a lawsuit.
• Amending the constitution is serious business.
• This amendment would be a legal nightmare established in our constitution.
• Because of its broad implications, this amendment will clog our courts and allow for lawsuits against anyone associated with a woman's health.

This amendment would have far-reaching consequences on important life decisions

• By giving legal rights from the beginning of biological development, this amendment could ban emergency contraception for rape and incest victims. Birth control options like the Pill and IUDs could be banned. (These methods can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.)
• A woman with cancer could be denied access to life saving medical treatment because it could endanger a fertilized egg.
• Establishing rights from the beginning of biological development would ban some stem cell research being used to find cures for chronic disease and disabilities. In vitro fertilization could be banned since fertilized eggs used in these processes would have full legal rights.
• Giving legal rights from the beginning of biological development could trigger government investigations anytime a woman has a miscarriage. This is a clear and extreme violation of privacy at an already difficult time.