Florida Jumps on the Personhood Bandwagon
Florida is the latest state to jump on the personhood bandwagon. Like Colorado and Montana, voters in Florida will potentially consider a bill in 2010 that would define a fetus as a person, replete with constitutional rights. According to the Sun-Sentinel:
The Virgina-based American Life League will announce today a petition drive for the proposed “Personhood Amendment” to the Florida Constitution.
It would define a “person” as being in existence from “the beginning of the biological development.”
We’ve already had several articles on Feminists For Choice about the potential consequences that such a bill would have. Every pregnancy would be effected – if a mother fails to get proper prenatal care (oh, say because she’s poor and access to prenatal care has been restricted as a result of the crack down on family planning services), the vagueness of the bill could mean that she is held criminally responsible for child endangerment. The right to choose a home birth or a vaginal birth over a c-section could be curtailed – as it was in New Jersey, when a woman who refused to have a c-section was arrested for child endangerment.
Don’t be fooled – the anti-choice wing nuts aren’t just against abortion – they’re against all reproductive rights choices. They’re against comprehensive sex education, they don’t like condoms or birth control, and they think that a hospital administrator should make decisions for a woman about her birthing plan, based on what’s most convenient for the hospital, and not what the woman thinks is best for her and her baby. These personhood bills are a very clear demonstration about what the radical right thinks about women. Want proof? Check out this article from Crooks and Liars.
Florida activists should get keyed up with their local Planned Parenthood or NARAL chapter to find out what they can do to defeat the personhood amendment. We’ll keep you in the loop here at Feminists For Choice, but you really need to take action beyond reading about the bill. For more info, click here.
1Michael Hussey
wrote on 14 September 2009 at 14:12
Thanks for the link and spreading the word.
2Mrs. Mastro
wrote on 16 September 2009 at 12:52
*sings* Every sperm is sacred…All kidding aside, though, this is a really dangerous bill. You are right to point out that it has far reaching implications.
While I wouldn’t advocate complacency on the part of Floridians–this one needs to be fought, and fought very well–I would bet that it won’t hold up in court.
It is very likely to create what the courts will call an undue burden–on women, on doctors, etc. And given the Casey V. Planned Parenthood precedent, I doubt this one will stick for any time at all.