PPRM President and CEO Vicki Cowart Statement on “Personhood” Proponents Missing Deadline to Challenge Secretary of State’s Ruling on Signatures

For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014

Share This

Fail to make November Ballot

DENVER – “It is official: ‘personhood’ will not be on the 2012 Colorado ballot as Monday marked the deadline for the ballot to be certified.

“Support for the ‘personhood’ movement is eroding; fewer signatures were collected in Colorado this year than in past years. Even national support is wavering as we have seen ‘personhood’ efforts in Ohio, Florida, Nevada, California, Montana, and Oregon fail in 2012. This means that no state in the nation will be asked to vote on ‘personhood this fall. Even Mississippi, arguably one of the most conservative states in the nation, rejected ‘personhood’ by more than 55 percent in 2011.

“When voters learn about the harmful and overreaching consequences of such measure, they turn the other way. Most Americans respect women and trust a woman’s ability to make personal medical decisions about her own body for herself, with her doctor, her family, and her faith.

“At the same time that the ‘personhood’ movement is struggling to gain support; PPRM is seeing a strong level of public approval. A poll conducted by Lake Research Partners in May shows that 64 percent of Colorado voters have a favorable view of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

“Let today be a signal to personhood supporters who insist on returning to Colorado each year with these dangerous ballot initiatives, the people of Colorado have now said it three times: not in my state, and not on my watch.”

Background

“Personhood” amendments are a direct attempt to ban all abortion, specifically for victims of rape and incest. They put politicians, lawyers and courts between a woman and her doctor, taking away a woman’s ability to make decisions about her own body. This includes important decisions such as what birth control to use, fertility treatments, the treatment of miscarriages, and whether or not to end a pregnancy. Colorado voters overwhelmingly rejected “personhood” in 2008 and 2010 – by three-to-one margins.

###

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains empowers individuals and families in the communities we serve to make informed choices about their sexual and reproductive health by providing high quality health services, comprehensive sex education, and strategic advocacy. More than 123,000 women, men, and young adults annually visit our 28 health centers throughout Colorado, New Mexico, Southern Nevada, and Wyoming. Since 1916, we have been the region’s most trusted provider of reproductive health care. For more information about Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, call 1.800.230.PLAN or visit pprm.org for the health center nearest you.