FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
November 4, 2014
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Colorado voters today rejected ballot measure Amendment 67, once more refusing the sponsors’ attempt to lay the groundwork for an abortion ban.
In response, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Ilyse Hogue released the following statement:
“When ‘personhood’-like measures are put directly to voters, the voters defeat them. Amendment 67 is the latest in a long line of anti-choice measures that have gone down through direct democracy.
“Despite backers trying to hide their real intent with deceptive language this year, voters saw through this gambit and Amendment 67 met the same defeat as its predecessors in 2008 and 2010. Hopefully the third time is the charm, and opponents of women’s rights will learn their lesson and stop trying to restrict the freedom of Colorado women.”
Colorado voters rejected “personhood” initiatives in 2008 and 2010, so Personhood USA and their allies repackaged their proposal. In 2014:
The ballot language has changed. Instead of establishing that a person exists “from the moment of fertilization,” they are now approaching an abortion ban through a side door. That is, changing the criminal code in the state’s constitution to grant rights to an “unborn human being.”
The messaging has changed. Proponents of the measure say that it is not about banning abortion, but rather about protecting Colorado women. In reality, laws already exist that provide criminal and civil remedies for pregnant women who are victims of violence.
The face of the campaign has changed. Personhood Colorado is no longer the face of the campaign. While they are still the lead organization, they have changed their website from “Personhood Colorado” to “A Voice for Brady.”
NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado worked with the coalition on the ground to fight Amendment 67. Executive director, Karen Middleton, had this to say:
“Colorado voters have a longstanding, mainstream belief in supporting abortion rights and reproductive health care, and we saw that belief in action with the defeat of Amendment 67. NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado members and supporters played an important role in letting voters know about this deceptive, dangerous amendment. We hope those behind Amendment 67 have learned again that they are on the wrong side of Colorado voters and values and take NO for an answer.”
View original ballot measure memo.
NARAL Pro-Choice America and its network of state affiliates are dedicated to protecting and expanding reproductive freedom for all Americans. NARAL works to guarantee that every woman has the right to make personal decisions regarding the full range of reproductive choices, including preventing unintended pregnancy, bearing healthy children, and choosing legal abortion. In recognition of its work defending our constitutional right to choose, Fortune Magazine described NARAL as “one of the top 10 advocacy groups in America.”
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