My view on Initiative 26

This is a picture of Brooklynn Rose when I was 28 weeks pregnant.

Be it Enacted by the People of the State of
Mississippi:


SECTION 1. Article III of the constitution of
the state of Mississippi is hereby amended BY THE
ADDITION OF A NEW SECTION TO READ:

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.

Yes, that’s the whole thing. That’s the entire text of the amendment to the Mississippi Constitution that you’re being asked to approve.

Now that you all have seen what the initiative actually reads let me explain why I will be voting no. I have been posting many links on FB not to condemn anyone who is voting yes but only so people will understand why I am voting no. I have read many things on FB that have attacked the character and faith of individuals who are choosing to vote no. Yesterday I finally had enough. When I read a post that was easy  to be interpreted to feel aimed at those who are voting no that said "they are okay murdering children for a voice of freedom" my skin crawled. How can you say such a general statement. Not everyone who is voting no is okay murdering children for a voice of freedom. Actually none of the people that I know who are voting no are okay with murdering children. So to read such a broad statement really stirred me up.

I am voting no simply because the initiative DOES NOT ban abortion. Let me repeat... this initiative DOES NOT ban abortion. What this initiative does is leave to much gray area and unanswered questions for ME. There are many scare tactics out there but there are also a lot of facts out there. Therefore, you must educate yourself and do research to be able to know the difference between the two.

First off lets start with IVF. Which is my biggest concern. I know many women and couples who have had trouble conceiving children naturally and who have turned to IVF for help. I also look ahead to the future and think what if Brooklynn grows up to be one of those women. I want her to have every possible chance at motherhood and experiencing the joy of being a parent.

The official Yes On 26 FAQ says that “Personhood would not end in-vitro fertilitization”. So why do we say it will? The simple answer is that 26 imposes restrictions which will regulate IVF out of existence here in Mississippi, even if nothing ever says that “IVF is illegal”. 26′s own supporters say that it will prohibit embryo cryopreservation and limit the number of eggs which doctors can attempt to fertilize to no more than two eggs. The medical realities of IVF mean that these two restrictions would end physicians’ ability to perform IVF in Mississippi. RESOLVE: the National Infertility Association strongly opposes Initiative 26 because of the unacceptable consequences for infertility treatment. (Please note that RESOLVE is an independent organization whose mission is strictly limited to advocacy and education for infertility treatment.)

If a doctor can only fertilize two eggs this cuts a woman's chance of getting pregnant through IVF from forty five percent to five percent. This initiative DOES NOT ban abortion but does hender IVF for women who desperately want children and to me it's not worth a vote yes when this comes into play.

Next lets discuss ectopic pregnancy.  The Yes On 26 campaign claims that it won’t prevent doctors from saving women’s lives in the “hard case where the baby is unviable”. However, there is a great deal of uncertainty about which treatments would and wouldn’t be available. There is good reason to believe that 26 would prevent physicians from using non-surgical or fertility-preserving treatment for ectopic pregnancy. Personhood campaigns in other states such as Colorado have claimed that tubal-removal surgery is the only personhood-compatible treatment for ectopic pregnancy, as do many pro-life groups. Personhood supporters make the claim that doctors “would be required to save both lives if possible”. In pro-life hospitals around the US, this is already interpreted in ways which threaten womens’ lives and physical health, even when it is clear that there is no hope to save the pregnancy. Who will decide when doctors have done enough to save both lives, and when ending the pregnancy is medically justified? How will it be determined that doctors are in compliance with the law? These are key reasons why the Mississippi Section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Mississippi State Medical Association, and Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi do not support Initiative 26.  The initiative does not cover this or say enough to cover the gray areas on ectopic pregnancy.

Next is birth control. Which has been very confusing and very debated. Would Initiative 26 open the door to prohibiting many common forms of birth control? The simple answer is yes. Yes On 26′s own website makes it clear that IUDs are incompatible with personhood. Presumably this would also extend to women who already have IUDs in place, since the violation of personhood is caused by the existence of the IUD, not by the insertion process. Hormonal birth control is a more complicated issue. All forms of hormonal birth control can potentially prevent implantation, which Yes On 26 claims is incompatible with personhood. It should be noted that prominent members of the Yes On 26 Advisory Board, and Personhood Colorado, have quite explicitly stated that they consider hormonal contraceptives to be “chemical abortifacients” and that “they do in fact cause abortions”. So if taking the pill prevents implantation, under this initiative, it will be come illegal because initiative 26 means you are a person even before you are in your mothers womb. So if you are taking any form of birth control that stops implanation then you are doing something illegal.  Again another gray area of this initiative and again a reason why I can't vote yes because this is written to poorly to know what will and will not happen.

Now lets talk about rape and incest exceptions. I hate to even entertain the thought of Brooklynn being raped or any ones child getting raped by a stranger or someone in their family but guess what... IT HAPPENS. I was in fourth grade when I started my period. That means if I would have been raped or had sex in fourth grade then I could have became pregnant. I don't know what I would do or how I would respond if I found myself in that situation with my daughter. I cant say I would or would not do this. All I know is that I would want an option for my little girl in fourth grade who just suffered this horrendous crime and violation to her body. Judge me how you please but there is no way I would put my daughter through that at such a young age.

If you believe that abortion ought to be available in cases of rape and incest, you MUST vote No on 26. It’s that simple.  According to the Yes On 26 FAQ, Initiative 26 means that women and girls who have been victims of sexual assault would be forced to go through pregnancy and childbirth.  Just as abortion would not be available to these women and girls, emergency contraception (the “morning after pill”) would not be available to them, since Yes On 26 considers it a “human pesticide” whose usage would be banned by Initiative 26. Even most people who consider themselves pro-life believe that there should be exceptions for rape and incest victims. Yes On 26 does not.

I respect people however they vote. If you vote yes that is your choice and your right just as it is mine to vote no. The links and info that I have posted on my FB page are there to help those who are unsure and to help people understand why I am voting no. It's not because I am okay with murdering children for a voice of  freedom. It's because if this initiative passes abortion WILL NOT be banned but all these other problems will come into our lives on a daily basis. The churches of this county and around MS have led people to believe that by voting yes they will be making abortion become non existent which is not true and have neglected to inform voters what all problems initiative 26 could possibly occur for women's health. It is easy to make people think that if they vote for this they will be ending abortion and that is just not the case. I myself thought that until I did some research of my own. I encourage you to not only read the things I post but to do some digging and learn what is at stake for us and the generation we are raising. I do know that this amendment will lead the way for our state to over turn "Roe vs. Wade" if is passed but I don't believe this is the proper way to do it. The things that are at stake are not worth it to me so that is why I am voting no because the good does not outweigh the bad for me.

I hate nothing more than to be misunderstood. That is why I have posted the things that I have so that people will understand why I am voting no. Yes, I did get rattled yesterday by people who make such general statements about people who are voting no and that is why I took a stand against it! I have relied on http://www.parentsagainstms26.com/ for a lot of the information stated in this blog. It has been the most useful in helping me understand initiative 26. Even if we don't believe in abortion or support abortion it is never our place to cast judgment on people who have had one. We never know what people have been through or why they chose abortion. If we are harsh with our judgement we may push them further away from the God who can give them peace and forgiveness for that choice. It is okay to be pro life but it is not okay to judge people who are not. People make mistakes and I think you and I are both living proof of that. The reason I am voting no to initiative 26  is not because I think it is okay to murder children for a voice of freedom, I am voting no because it is poorly written and leaves to many unanswered questions and highly effects the future of my little girl and what could happen in her life.