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TIA-CO opposes deceptive personhood initiative

The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado opposes Amendment 48 because it has far-reaching consequences for important life decisions. Amendment 48 would eliminate a woman's right to make personal, private decisions about her life according to her own faith. A woman should have the right to make decisions about her own health care with her doctor, her family, and her God without government intrusion.
 
In addition, amending the constitution is serious business and Amendment 48 would be a legal nightmare. This amendment would impose the beliefs of one religious group over all others and it would enshrine a particular religious viewpoint in our constitution. By giving legal rights to fertilized eggs, this amendment goes too far.

Proponents of a deceptively named “Human Life Amendment” are gathering signatures to place a measure on the November ballot that would amend Colorado’s Constitution to redefine “person” and to grant constitutional rights from the moment of conception. The proposed amendment is vague, dangerous and simply goes too far. It seeks to restrict women’s access to health care; it invites government intrusion into our personal lives; and, if it passes, it’s permanent.

Calling themselves “Colorado for Equal Rights,” proponents are led by Kristi Burton, a 20-year-old anti-choice extremist from Peyton – just outside of Colorado Springs. The group receives funding, in-kind, and legal support from Colorado Right to Life, the Thomas More Law Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Alliance Defense Fund in Scottsdale, Arizona. National anti-choice groups including Focus on the Family and National Right to Life are not publicly supporting this measure.

The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado spoke out against this measure early and will work to prevent it from weakening our state constitution. “We believe this measure would limit religious freedom by enshrining a religious, sectarian definition of life in the Colorado Constitution,” said TIA-CO President the Rev. Patrick O. Hurley. “This measure is more than an attack on religious freedom. It is also a serious threat to women’s health.”

Jody Berger, spokesperson of the Protect Families Protect Choice (PFPC) campaign, which has been established to defeat this dangerous and misleading amendment, said she believes Colorado voters will vote no on this proposed amendment when they understand its drastic effects, including:

This amendment would ban all abortion, including in cases of rape, incest or when the woman’s life is at risk.

• This amendment is so extreme, it could ban the most popular forms of birth control.
• This amendment would place politicians and lawyers in the middle of our most personal, private medical decisions.

Recently, Burton has said the proposed amendment is a simple language clarification and is not meant to ban anything. Last year, she and other proponents were singing a different tune. At the time, they acknowledged that the amendment was written to ban all abortion and the most popular forms of birth control.

PFPC is a broadly based coalition of nurses, doctors, members of the clergy, civic organizations and pro-choice advocates including Planned Parenthood, the League of Women Voters and many others. The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado has also joined this coalition.

While the proponents have until May 13 to gather the signatures needed to place the amendment on the November ballot, Protect Families Protect Choice is not waiting to start its campaign to defeat it. The coalition has already formed a NO campaign steering committee and begun fundraising to make sure opponents will be able to let Colorado voters know what this amendment really does.

“Access to affordable health care is already difficult for many families in Colorado but this amendment would make it harder still and it would invite the government to interfere with our most personal medical decisions,” said Berger. “This is an outrageous proposal and we will defeat it.”

Press coverage

8/30/08: The Rev. Patrick O. Hurley is quoted in this article in the Pueblo Chieftan: Pulpit at the polls? Amendment 48 poses ethical, medical questions.

8/26/08: Past President Maureen McCormack and Jeremy Shaver, TIA-CO's Director of Outreach and Communications, were interviewed for the State of Belief radio show on their reactions to August 24th's Interfaith Gathering - the first event of the Democratic National Convention. Donna Redwing with the Interfaith Alliance was the roving reporter. Here is the link to the State of Belief blog that contains links to our remarks: http://stateofbelief.com/blog/?p=218.

5/30/08: TIA-CO's President, the Rev. Patrick Hurley, as well as two members of the Board of Directors, are directly quoted in this story from The Colorado Independent.

How to Help

To volunteer, please contact Jeremy Shaver, TIA-CO’s Director of Outreach and Communications, at 303-733-4089. To donate, please contact Protect Families Protect Choice at ProtectFamilies.ProtectChoice@PPRM.org or call 303-813-7798.

Protect Families Protect Choice

WHEREAS The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado is an organization working to promote the health and well-being of women and families in Colorado;

WHEREAS Coloradans deserve access to safe and confidential reproductive health care services free from harassment or politically motivated restrictions; 

WHEREAS we oppose unnecessary risks to and undue burdens on people seeking health care;

WHEREAS we oppose criminalizing doctors and medical staff for providing legal and what is now constitutionally protected care to women;

WHEREAS we oppose unwarranted governmental intrusion into people’s most personal and private decisions;

WHEREAS we oppose using the constitution to deny health care to women and their families and in such a way to have sweeping unintended consequences for the people of the state of Colorado.

THEREFORE be it now RESOLVED, that The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado officially declares its opposition to the proposed Anti-women’s Health Constitutional Amendment and, through the coalition of organizations opposing this measure, will work to contribute resources, help raise money for and/or educate its members, as well as the people of Colorado, about this ballot initiative; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution will be transmitted to the coalition opposing this measure, so that they may use our organization’s name in their efforts to organize additional groups and individuals to work for its defeat.

The Rev. Patrick O. Hurley, President, The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado