Mississippi had a new amendment up for vote last week that was referred to as the “personhood” amendment. The amendment was an anti-abortion law that declared that from the moment of fertilization, a fetus is a person. Voters in Mississippi have since voted no on the ballot that challenged the decisions made in the 1973 Roe v. Wade case.
“The personhood amendment that Mississippi (faced) is absolutely toxic,” said senior psychology and women, gender and sexuality studies major Abigail Santorine, the president of VOX (Voices of Planned Parenthood). “It shows no respect for women, their bodies and their choices. Extreme legislation like this only puts women at risk.”
While I have a few internal questions about abortion being right or wrong, I will say this: Are you kidding? No, seriously, I don’t see how this can be seen as a good thing, and the reason we should care is because there are rumors that Ohio is next to vote on the ballot.
It is natural for pregnancy to occur, and yes, I do agree that you shouldn’t have sex if you’re unprotected and don’t want a baby. But rape occurs, and birth control fails. Then what?
Are we willing to have even more 16-year-old mothers in this country? What if you come to find out that your baby will be in extreme pain constantly and will never know a life besides that of being tube-fed and wearing diapers until tragically passing at the age of 18? Would you want to put someone through a life like that? I’m not sure I could.
What if the mother is unfit? And by unfit I mean what if the pregnancy was putting her health in jeopardy? I wouldn’t be able to live knowing that I would never get to meet the person growing inside me, because I will most likely not make it through or even up to labor.
Then there is the famous question of rape. While I agree it isn’t the baby’s or mother’s fault and that adoption is a great option, is it fair for us to decide for her that she has to go through a pregnancy with a constant reminder of what happened to her?
This law would also make it difficult for women to get their hands on birth control and the morning-after pill.
“This amendment goes beyond abortion and makes hormonal birth control and in vitro fertilization illegal as well,” Santorine said. “Hormonal birth control has uses beyond merely helping women avoid getting pregnant; it helps prevent the pain of ovarian cysts and other reproductive issues.”
All in all, I think this law is impractical if not unrealistic. I may not like abortion, but it happens, and a woman’s right to her body is her own. I also don’t like war — but it happens.
We can’t control everything, and no matter where you stand on the issue of abortion, the personhood amendment is way out of line.
