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Personhood measure 'scares' opponents

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published October 3, 2008 at 12:05 a.m.

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Opponents of the "Personhood Amendment" brought out a rape victim, a breast cancer survivor and two ministers Thursday to illustrate what they called the wide swath of people worried about the ballot measure.

Still, Fofi Mendez, campaign director for No on 48, said at a news conference that the Nov. 4 ballot is so long and the presidential election is demanding so much attention that voters may be unaware of the full implications of Amendment 48.

And even Kristi Burton, the sponsor of the measure, said it could get lost in the shuffle of many ballot measures.

Amendment 48 would define a human being the moment an egg is fertilized and that fertilized egg would enjoy constitutional protections such as equality of justice, inalienable rights and due process of law.

Opponents say doctors would be in the difficult position of balancing treatment of a cancer patient while not wanting to harm the fertilized egg.

Diane Montiel, a 41-year-old breast cancer survivor, wept as she recounted her story. She said if she were pregnant and Amendment 48 were on the books, she wouldn't have been able to get chemotherapy treatment.

"I don't know what I would've done if I had been pregnant at the time of my diagnosis," she said. "That's why Amendment 48 scares me."

But Burton said that example is a "scare tactic" used by opponents of the measure.

"Doctors should be able to decide which life they can save," she said. "If she were to die, the baby would die, too. It should be up to the mother and family and the doctor to save the life that can be saved instead of letting both die."

Opponents also included Amanda Karpe, a rape victim who said she survived a brutal attack five years ago.

Karpe said she was able to get emergency contraception at the hospital and was grateful not to have to "have a baby by that monster that attacked me."

She said Amendment 48 would've put that possibility in jeopardy.

"A woman has all power taken from her during a brutal attack," Karpe said. "Giving her back her power . . . brings her one step closer to recovery."

But Burton said that example is not a clear result of passage of Amendment 48 and that it would be revisited by legislators and the court system once personhood was defined.

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