Mississipians should vote No on Nov 8, 2011 on Amendment 26

Initiative #26

“Be it Enacted by the People of the State of Mississippi:

SECTION 1. Article III of the constitution of the state of Mississippi is hearby amended BY THE ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION TO READ:

SECTION 33. Person defined. As used in this Article III of the state constitution, “The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”

Some possible results of Amendment 26:

• Outlaw Emergency Contraception and Birth Control pills: Amendment 26 is so broad it could outlaw emergency contraception, the birth control pill and other methods of birth control because they can prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus. 

• Ban All Abortion: Amendment 26 would ban abortion even for victims of rape and incest or when a woman’s life is at risk. 

• Restrict Health Care:  A woman with cancer could be refused life-saving medical  treatment because it could put a fertilized egg in danger.

• Violate The American Value Of Religious Freedom:  Amendment 26 would insert one religious viewpoint into the state constitution, making one religious viewpoint the law of the land.

• Clogged Courts: Amendment 26 would impact literally thousands of laws ranging from when property rights are granted, to inheritance rights, to who can file a lawsuit.  

Health care decisions should be made by individuals, with their doctors, their families and according to their own beliefs– not a fringe group rewriting the state constitution.