Pro-Life WisconsinThe below article on Wisconsin's Personhood Amendment was on the front page of the Wisconsin State Journal on Wednesday, November 23. Among other news coverage including TV and radio, LifeSiteNews has covered personhood, as has UW-Madison's Badger Herald.
Anti-abortion lawmakers propose constitutional amendment to extend personhood to embryos
Many Wisconsin abortion foes are cheering the introduction of legislation that would amend the state constitution to extend personhood to the moment an egg is fertilized, although the state's two largest anti-abortion groups are at odds over the approach.
The legislation is patterned after a similar measure that Mississippi voters rejected earlier this month.
Critics say such measures would outlaw all abortions, including in cases of rape and incest, and ban all forms of hormonal contraception, including birth control pills and intrauterine devices (IUDs).
Wisconsin's "personhood" amendment, introduced last week by Rep. Andre Jacque, R-Bellevue, would define the terms "people" and "person" in the constitution to include "every human being at any stage of development."
Also, the phrase "all people are born equally free and independent" would be changed to "all people are equally free and independent." This would eliminate the need to be "born" to have certain inherent rights, such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Matt Sande, lobbyist for Pro-Life Wisconsin, which backs the legislation and is working closely with Jacque, said the amendment "undoubtedly" would outlaw all forms of surgical and chemical abortion. On other issues, "we don't know exactly what it would mean, but our intent is to protect the preborn child at any stage of development from any violent attack, whether chemical, surgical or experimental," he said.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has concluded the proposed language would ban hormonal contraception, said Nicole Safar, public policy director. "This is way out of touch with Wisconsin values," she said.
Rep. Chris Taylor[and Planned Parenthood lobbyist], D-Madison, said the legislation is a continuation of the Republican Party's "extreme social agenda," adding it's also "anti-business and anti-jobs" because of its potential impact on Wisconsin's bio-medical and embryonic stem cell research sectors.
"This kind of punitive resolution causes researchers to go elsewhere," she said.
But Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, R-Fond du Lac, one of six Assembly co-sponsors, said he and his colleagues are fulfilling "one of the basic roles of government, which is to protect those who can't protect themselves."
In a twist, Wisconsin Right to Life, the largest anti-abortion group in the state, has come out forcefully against the personhood amendment strategy, calling it "just plain wrong for Wisconsin."
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