Prop 26 gets 86'ed

Mississippi voters yesterday defeated a ballot initiative that would've declared that life begins at fertilisation, a proposal that supporters sought in the Bible Belt state as a way to prompt a legal challenge to abortion rights nationwide. The so-called "personhood" initiative was rejected by more than 55 percent of voters, falling far short of the threshold needed for it to be enacted. If it had passed, it was virtually assured of drawing legal challenges because it conflicts with the Supreme Court's 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that established a legal right to abortion. Supporters of the initiative wanted to provoke a lawsuit to challenge the landmark ruling but now they'll have to find a better way. Even the regular, white-bread, life-begins-at-conception type of anti-choice folk think this is too much, and I wouldn't blame them. A fertilised egg may be able to grow into a fully-fledged person but until that happens, it looks nothing like a person. And besides, there's also the issues of women's rights and religion to consider. You can't just impose your religious beliefs on others by forcing women to carry unwanted pregnancies, including those caused by rape or incest. Proposition 26 failed for good reason. Mississippi already has tough abortion regulations (parental or judicial consent for any minor to get an abortion, mandatory in-person counseling, and a 24-hour wait before any woman can terminate a pregnancy) and only one clinic where the procedures are performed, so there's no need for any more anti-choice rubbish. In other news, Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar of the show "19 Kids and Counting" are expecting their 20th child in April. I hope this time they can find a name for number 20 that doesn't start with J.