NO on 26, Mississippi

On 8 November, the people of the great state of Mississippi will be tasked with the incredible responsibility of deciding whether or not to amend their Constitution with regards to the definition of a “person”.  Amendment 26, the so-called “personhood” amendment reads as follows:

Section 33.  Person Defined.   As used in this Article III of the state constitution, "The term 'person' or 'persons' shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof."

WTF?  Think for a moment about what this statement is actually saying and more importantly what it is not saying.

On the surface this seems little more than a “pro-life” initiative.  It certainly is that but has the dangerous possibility to be much more.  In simple terms it is an effort to outlaw abortion in the state and therefore gain a foothold in Personhood USA’s ultimate goal of overthrowing Roe v. Wade.  Whichever side of the fence you fall on the abortion debate, one has to be troubled by the ambiguous wording of this proposition. 

At stake is much more than one’s perception of their own ideological or philosophical stance. This isn’t a Republican / Democrat issue. If passed, not only would this amendment outlaw abortion – regardless of the circumstances leading to the pregnancy I might add, but also do away with the birth control pill, most if not all assisted fertility techniques including in vitro fertilization.  It could, one can only assume make it a criminally prosecutable offense to endure the misfortune of a miscarriage!  A state with the highest teenage pregnancy rate in the country couldn’t possibly make it illegal to obtain a birth control prescription, right? 

We don’t know if that would happen.  In fact, we have no idea of how or even if this new verbiage would or could be enforced.  Does it automatically become law once the election is certified?  The presence of this initiative on the ballot possibly violates the underlying principles of the very Constitution it hopes to amend.  Herein lies the problem with 26 – it begs a helluva lot more questions than it addresses.

I don’t know all of the facts and I’m certainly not writing this to prove that I do.  There are certainly more eloquent and compelling and educated voices on either side of this debate than mine.  If you are a registered Mississippi voter then it is your civic obligation to seek out those voices and educate yourself on this issue so that you are armed with enough knowledge to truly cast a vote of conscience.  (And if you’re not a registered voter, why are you not?) In doing so, I urge you to be objective.  Don’t look for answers in only one source. 

I tend to fall on the left most times politically.  I certainly have migrated closer to the middle as I’ve gotten older but still see myself as a progressive.  That said I find it imperative to gather news from as many outlets as possibly.  I actually watch Hannity (though it pains me) as much as I watch Bill Maher, The O’Reily Factor as much as the Daily Show.  That isn’t news by the way – that is a far right and a far left perception and opinion of the news – it’s entertainment.  CNN as much as Fox, Mother Jones as much as The National Review.  Once you see the issues from all sides it is easier to apply critical thought and form your own opinion.  That is the significant component of this – applying critical thought.  Most Americans want / need their own opinions spoon-fed to them.  Don’t fall in to that trap.

Further, ask yourself this question, “Why Mississippi?”  “Why did this organization choose Mississippi as the ground upon which to wage their war?”  This is primarily why I write on this subject at all.  I grew up in Mississippi.  I have family and friends there still.  I don’t want them to be painted, once again, in a negative light by the national media.  Do not think that the eyes of the country are not upon you because they are.  Parenthood USA came to Mississippi, not only because it is a historically conservative state but primarily because of the national perception of the people of Mississippi as a backward, uneducated populace.  What better place to make this stand than in a state where if you yell ‘abortion’ or ‘family values’ loud enough you can make most people agree with almost anything that you are saying.  This isn’t a personal opinion but it is a prevalent opinion outside the magnolia borders.  

Don’t be the pawns they expect you to be.  Voting ‘no’ on 26 does not make you less pro-life.  Voting ‘no’ does not mean that you suddenly believe in abortion.  Voting ‘no’ simply means that you have exercised the gray matter between your ears and have realized that the amendment is incomplete.   If you are anti-abortion, fight that battle – that is your inexorable American right to do so.  If that is what you are compelled to do then you should explore every reasonable means available to you to make your philosophical viewpoint heard and bring into being that which you believe to be right and just.  This is not the place for that battle.  Amendment 26 does not give you that platform. 

Make your voices heard.  Vote NO on 26, Mississippi !  Let the world know that the people of Mississippi are capable of more than a knee-jerk reaction to a very complicated, touchy, troubling subject that nobody really wants to talk about.  

Mississippi shows up in the wrong place on the wrong lists all too often.  You don't want to come in first on this one.