A move to define a fertilized egg as a person in the state of Missouri was dealt a blow, as anti-abortion activists failed to get enough signatures to put the issue on a ballot.  According to Planned Parenthood Affiliates in Missouri, the group Personhood Missouri, who was spearheading the campaign, received “only a fraction” of the 150,000 signatures that would be required.

Clearly Missourians found this measure too extreme and did not support putting it on the ballot. The measure attempted to redefine “person” in such a way that may force the government to ban many common and life-saving medical treatments, including

• Commonly used forms of birth control, (used by 95% of women at sometime in their life)
• Treatments for cancer, life-threatening pregnancies and infertility,
• Abortion even in cases of rape, incest or when a woman’s life is in danger

Rather than wage an election battle over this extreme measure, Planned Parenthood urges voters and elected officials to join us in focusing on prevention and education which is what we do every single day.

Similar initiatives are still being played out in multiple states, such as in Colorado, where “Personhood” did get added to the 2010 ballot. Colorado voters rejected defining a fertilized egg as a person in 2008.