After Legislators depart the Capitol, Extremists Continue their Attack on Women’s Privacy Rights: The Personhood Amendment is Back
Helena, MT – Julianna Crowley, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Montana, called Annie Bukacek's efforts to propose yet another anti-choice constitutional amendment a repeat attack on the fundamental right of all Montanans to make personal, private, medical decisions that Montanans neither want nor support. Annie Bukacek and anti-choice activists have filed the papers necessary to start the process of qualifying a “personhood” amendment for the 2012 ballot. This ballot initiative attempt comes after a state legislative session in which anti-choice politicians brought a record level of bills attacking legal abortion and birth control—the most in the 20 years NARAL Pro-Choice Montana has been tracking choice-related bills. “Anti-choice extremists like Annie Bukacek want to weaken our state constitution's right to privacy so they can open the door to more government interference in private medical decisions,” Crowley said. “This dangerous measure would establish legal rights starting at fertilization with the intent of banning legal abortion in our state and threatening stem-cell research, in-vitro fertilization, and birth control.” This proposed ballot initiative mirrors HB 490, a bill sponsored by Wendy Warburton (R-Havre) this past legislative session. Crowley said the ballot measure is yet another example of how anti-choice groups are pushing a divisive agenda that could not even make it out of a legislature packed with anti-choice law-makers because of its extreme and over-reaching nature. In both 2008 and 2010, anti-choice extremists failed to qualify for the ballot similar amendments. In 2008 they fell over 22,000 signatures short of the requirement and only qualified in 16 of the required 40 legislative districts; and in 2010 they fell nearly 13,000 signatures short of the requirement and only qualified in 23 of the required 40 house districts in their effort to get a total abortion ban on the ballot. In addition, similar amendments were introduced during the 2007, 2009, and 2011 Legislative Sessions and failed by bi-partisan opposition. For the past six legislative sessions, anti-choice groups have been unsuccessful in passing anti-choice measures that restrict reproductive rights and access to health care. “We should focus our attention on ways to reduce unintended pregnancies and the need for abortion. We should increase women's access to affordable reproductive health care and birth control, and make sure our teens receive medically accurate sex education,” Crowley said.
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