The Colorado state Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Tuesday to allow a proposed initiative defining a fertilized egg as a human being to circulate for voter approval, reported the Rocky Mountain News.
Anti-abortion leaders must now obtain 76,047 signatures over the next six months in order for the initiative to become a constitutional amendment on the November 2008 ballot.
If passed, anti-abortion activists believe the amendment would weaken pro-abortionists’ argument that a baby is not considered a human being until birth.
“The right to life is not a right that comes to us when we're born but when we're created,” said Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes, according to the Rocky Mountain News. “This will be, I hope and pray, one of the first of many steps taken to reclaim our godly principles.”
The measure would give fertilized eggs the state constitutional protections of inalienable rights, justice and due process.
Supporters say that because Colorado was one of the first states in 1967 to relax its abortion laws, it is appropriate that it leads the way in overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision legalizing abortion.
Kristi Burton, 20, a leader in the effort, told the News that God was on their side. “If it's a human being, it's a person,” she said. “And, hey, they deserve equal rights under our law.”
Similar initiatives are being attempted in other states, including Georgia, Wisconsin, Michigan, Montana, Mississippi and Oregon.
