Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Proposed "Personhood begins at Conception" amendment to Colorado State Constitution

Colorado Ballot initiative re: status of fertilized Egg
http://http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21785025/
Whoa, So the fertilized Egg is a full fledged Citizen (person) of the State, with all the rights, including the right not to be terminated. A simplistic notion , with complicated consequences is being touted by abortion opponents as the way to end all abortions. I really do not care if the state allows or disallows abortions. But the legal consequences of this amendment to the Colorado State Constitution are far beyond the stated intent. Are eggs fertilized in a fertility clinic, then not implanted in a mother, for any reason, citizens? (i.e. the clinic fertilized 50 eggs in case several attempts fail, then the first egg succeeds) Is the clinic to be charged with murder if they dispose of the unused eggs? Are the nurses, technicians, doctors, janitors, or parents of such an egg guilty of murder if they dispose of them.
My main objection to such citizen referenda is the world is not as simple as the solutions offered. the full consequences of these "God is on our side" ideas is that the devil is in the damn details. And where there are devilish details a lawyer will appear as an advocate. And lawyers tend to hunt in packs and bill in microseconds beware this amendment. It creates Chaos in the name of Clarity.