NEWS FLASH

Anti-Choice ‘Personhood’ Movement Targeting Abortion And Contraception Spreads To Ohio | Anti-choice group Personhood Ohio is collecting signatures to put a constitutional amendment banning abortion before Ohio voters in 2012. Currently, the Ohio constitution reads, “All persons are, by nature, free and independent, have certain inalienable rights, among which are those of enjoying and defending life and liberty.” The measure would define “persons” as “any human being at any stage of development, including fertilization.” As Ohio Planned Parenthood notes, the measure would outlaw abortion even in cases of rape, incest, or risk to the mother’s life. Moreover, as Marie Diamond previously reported, because the amendment would “recognize every fertilized egg as an individual and complete human being with full rights,” it could potentially ban many forms of birth control as well. The group needs to collect about 380,000 more signatures to make it onto the 2012 ballot and its starting with the Tea Party. “Tea party resolution is strong in Ohio,” said Personhood Ohio leader Dr. Patrick Johnston. It “has invigorated pro-lifers” to “get something don’t at the state level instead of waiting on the federal government.”