Summary
This is officially an amendment to define what is meant by "person" in the constitution. But what it is in fact is an amendment that would outlaw not just abortion at any point, but even any birth control that occurs after the egg is fertilized such as the morning after pill.
Update: Many conservatives have emailed me to say that this amendment will not outlaw abortion. I'm sorry but regardless of how much you try to pretend otherwise, it does. And you know it does. Please, be honest in what you are asking us to vote for.
Vote No
This is a question that does belong on the ballot (one of the few). But I think this is way more extreme than what the people of this state want. We should have a discussion of what point in the pregnancy we as a people want to say abortion is no longer allowed. And we should put it to a vote. But this proposal should be shot down.
In the meantime, we should all work to make sure abortion is not only safe, but rare. And that must include comprehensive sex-ed in our schools and making birth control available. Regardless of what we do, people will have sex (that's why all of us are here) and while we should impress on our children to be responsible in when they choose to have sex, we also need to stress that they need to be responsible in how they have sex.
And if you believe that as soon as the egg is fertilized, it is a human being and anything that stops it from growing to term is murder, then you should vote for this amendment.
But keep in mind when you do, that the logical interpretation of this amendment is that a woman who takes the morning after pill has committed pre-meditated murder and will be facing a prison term of decades.
Arguments Against
This will limit the ability of individuals to make private, personal choices about their lives and health. The measure will limit access to abortions and to prohibit medical care, including emergency contraception, commonly used forms of birth control, and treatments for cancer, tubal pregnancies, and infertility. The amendment may restrict some stem cell research that could lead to life-saving therapies for a variety of disabilities and illnesses.
This allows government interference in the doctor-patient relationship and could limit the exercise of independent medical judgment. The measure will restrict a doctor from using certain medical procedures and treatments. Furthermore, the measure will subject medical professionals to legal action for providing medical care to a woman of child-bearing age if it is determined to affect another "person."
Arguments For
The measure may establish the legal foundation to end the practice of abortion in Colorado. The U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion in the U.S. found that the unborn were not included in the word "person" as used in the U.S. Constitution. If each human life, from the moment of fertilization, is recognized as a person under Colorado's bill of rights, Amendment 48 will provide support for legal challenges to prohibit abortions in Colorado.
