Oklahoma high court strikes down personhood amendment

[rdowns]

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — The Oklahoma Supreme Court has ruled that an initiative petition that would grant “personhood” rights to human embryos is unconstitutional.

The state's highest court handed down the decision Monday on a proposed constitutional amendment that would define a fertilized human egg as a person.

The American Civil Liberties Union and the New York-based Center for Reproductive Rights filed a protest with the Supreme Court on behalf of several Oklahoma doctors and residents. The protest says the measure would have far-reaching implications that trump the rights of women.

The Supreme Court's decision says the proposal “is clearly unconstitutional,” citing a 1992 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the right to an abortion. The court says the petition is void and ordered it stricken.

The ruling by the nine-member court was unanimous.


Read more: http://newsok.com/oklahoma-high-cour...#ixzz1tYcPspnE

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[leekohler]

That's encouraging.

[Peace]

Well the Oklahoma Supreme Court is a bit smarter than the bozos that started the petition.

[bradl]

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suddenoutbreakofcommonsense

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BL.

[eastercat]

As someone who grew up in Oklahoma, I am relieved that the state court isn't made up of complete idiots. As for the population, this is a state that still has miscegenation laws on its books. Another law that would repress a portion of the population would just be another to add to OK's sad history.
Then again, the court didn't comment on the abortion itself, but rather cited precedent from the Supreme Court. It's highly doubtful they were going to go against precedent and get a smack down from the Supreme Court. On the other hand, if it was a decision about abortion itself, they'd have voted the other way.