Secular Coalition for America Strongly Opposes Mississippi Personhood Amendment

Tomorrow, Mississippians will go to the polls to decide on Initiative 26, an amendment to the state constitution that would defines a person as “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof.”

The Secular Coalition for America is firmly opposed to the “personhood amendment” and favors protecting women’s medical autonomy and all health services for women.

The proposed personhood amendment is not based on scientific research or rational thought, but instead on religious dogma. Worse, it prevents people who don’t agree—both believers and non-believers—from receiving basic health services.

Not only would the amendment criminalize abortion in the state, but it also could outlaw common birth control pills, intrauterine devices (IUDs), and the morning-after pill given to raped women and others who have had unprotected sex. But the law goes even further—it could even potentially render illegal some fertilization methods, such as in vitro procedures, which actually help families having trouble conceiving to do so.

“The religious right once again wants to ignore scientific findings and impose its narrow brand of religion on all,” said Herb Silverman, president of the Secular Coalition for America. “The move to define life so definitively in state law represents a new tact in the anti-abortion movement. Instead of looking for practical solutions to solve problems, many on the religious right continue to find wedge issues to divide our country, tie up states in legal disputes, and erode the rights of women.”

The medical definition of a viable pregnancy has always been the point at which a fertilized egg is implanted in a woman’s uterus. There are often cases—such as ectopic pregnancies—where the egg is fertilized but the pregnancy will never be viable and will most certainly put the mother’s life in jeopardy if the pregnancy is not terminated. This law could criminalize doctors performing life-saving procedures for these women and cause countless unnecessary deaths of women.

Even among religions, there are different ideas regarding at what point life begins. The personhood amendment aims to force one extreme view of Christianity on the public at large, and asks the secular government of Mississippi not only to favor this particular religious view, but to actually impose it on the people.

As Americans we rely on the separation of church and state to prevent one citizen from imposing his or her religious doctrine on others. Laws that intermingle religion and government so severely, such as Initiative 26, are an outright assault on our freedom as Americans. By imposing one particular brand of religious dogma on all citizens, and enacting laws so severe that a woman could possibly be jailed for using birth control pills, the State of Mississippi would be betraying the core American values of religious freedom, privacy and individual liberties – the very things that make our country exceptional.

This amendment is an egregious example of the assault on the separation of church and state that will have sweeping consequences for women and families, if enacted, and the Secular Coalition for America stands firmly against it.

Contact: Lauren Anderson Youngblood, Communications Manager, 202-299-1091, Lauren@secular.org