Ham On Wry Award-"Personhood Amendment Defeated in Mississippi

Bruce Newman/AP photo

Ham on Wry has been celebrating the defeat Tuesday of proposed Amendment 26, or as it's more commonly known, the "Personhood" Amendment.  Given that Mississippi lies in the heart of the Bible Belt, the failure to pass the onerous amendment speaks volumes.  Although naysayers of the results blame Planned Parenthood for the ballot initiative's defeat, Ham on Wry hopes the real reason stems from common sense overriding emotion.  Fifty-eight percent of voters cast a "no" vote on the measure.

Those who opposed the amendment emphasized that it had potential consequences beyond abortion. Methods of birth control, in vitro fertilization, and a doctor's ability to properly oversee the health of pregnant women could also be affected by the wording of the document.  If anything, the real game changer should have been the inclusion of rape and incest victims in the amendment (see Monday's post).

Ham on Wry considers this a victory for all, because it allows citizens to exercise freedom of choice in handling their personal affairs.  Women should have full control of decisions that affect their bodies and their capacity to bear and raise a child in a healthy manner.  Ham on Wry also wonders why people must adhere to restrictive religious beliefs, when one God creates us all in the view of most major religions.  Other first world nations don't struggle with this kind of dogma, and neither should we.  What happened to the principle of separation of church and state?  The government should not act as the arbiter in situations involving whether or not to give birth to a child.

Unfortunately, we have not seen the end of the attempts to make abortion illegal.  "Personhood" supporters have plans to place similar ballot initiative in six other states, if allowed.  Women should be especially disturbed by these attempts to limit their freedom.  I lived during a time when abortion was illegal, but that didn't stop women from finding a way to have an abortion performed.  America must nurture those children that are already born more effectively.  Let's place efforts there.