Personhood
In the News

Bills and ballot initiatives on personhood aim to redefine how state constitutions interpret the word "person" with some pinpointing personhood as beginning at fertilization and others conception. If successful, these initiatives would not only ban abortion, but also put into question the legality of a number of forms of birth control as well as in-vitro fertilization and other reproductive technologies.

State Lawmakers Focusing on Abortion Bans in 2013, Guttmacher Analysis Finds
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
State legislators in the first three months of 2013 introduced 694 reproductive health-related measures, including about 347 to restrict abortion, according to an analysis by the Guttmacher Institute, United Press International reports.

Featured Blogs
Tuesday, April 16, 2013
"State Policy Trends 2013: Abortion Bans Move to the Forefront" (Elizabeth Nash/Rachel Benson Gold, RH Reality Check, 4/12) and "Federal Court Blocks Mississippi Admitting Privileges Law" (Jessica Mason Pieklo, RH Reality Check, 4/15).

Featured Blogs
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
"Washington State May Require Insurers To Cover Abortion as Part of Maternity Care" (Tara Culp-Ressler, Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress, 3/25); "North Dakota Votes To Ban All Abortions by Defining Life at Conception" (Culp-Ressler, Center for American Progress' "ThinkProgress," 3/22).

N.D. Approves 'Personhood' Amendment for 2014 Ballot, Advances Other Abortion Restrictions
Monday, March 25, 2013
As part of votes on four antiabortion-rights bills on Friday, the North Dakota House approved a resolution (ND 4009) authorizing a 2014 ballot measure that would enshrine in state law the notion that life begins at conception, the AP/Forum of Fargo-Moorhead reports.

New York Times, Daily Beast Op-Eds Criticize N.D. Abortion Restrictions
Monday, March 25, 2013
Recent opinion pieces in the New York Times and Daily Beast responded to the passage of antiabortion-rights measures in North Dakota and other states.

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IN THE COURTS

This section provides a brief overview of significant cases impacting reproductive rights and health related to Personhood.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information, visit one of these helpful sites or resources:

AT-A-GLANCE

Issues

State by State

State by state

ABOUT REPRO WATCH

Repro Health Watch — an exciting new edition of the Women’s Health Policy Report — compiles and distributes media coverage of proposed and enacted state laws and ballot initiatives affecting women's access to comprehensive reproductive health care, as well as litigation in response to those provisions.



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