ELECTION 2008 | Colorado Personhood Amendment Defeated by Large Margin

ELECTION 2008 | Colorado Personhood Amendment Defeated by Large Margin
[Nov. 5, 2008]

Voters in Colorado on Tuesday "soundly defeated" a proposed amendment that would have defined a fertilized egg as a person in the state constitution, the AP/Chicago Tribune reports. Amendment 48 would have defined a person as "any human being from the moment of fertilization" (Slevin, AP/Chicago Tribune, 11/5). The amendment was losing 73% to 27% with 87% of precincts reporting (CNN.com, 11/5). Opposition to the measure came from voters of all age groups and majorities of men and women. Support for the measure was predominantly shown from white evangelical and Republican voters (AP/Chicago Tribune, 11/5).

According to USA Today, Colorado Right to Life was a major proponent of the amendment, while NARAL Pro-Choice America and other opponents said that abortion could have been criminalized and research on embryonic stem cells halted under the measure (Koch, USA Today, 11/5). In addition to making abortions illegal, opponents also said Amendment 48 could have outlawed fertility treatments and some forms of contraception (AP/Chicago Tribune, 11/5).