A pro-life advocate from California is pushing for a statewide initiative that would ban abortions across the state of California.
As most people know, California is one of the most pro-abortion states in the nation. In reality, this likelihoods of this ballot initiative becoming law are quite slim and nearly impossible. With this in mind, pro life advocates are still wanting to raise the issue of the legal protections and rights for preborn children.
Many ballot initiatives like this one have been proposed in the state of California, but have been shot down multiple times.
According to LifeNews, no matter what the outcome is, the ballot initiative has been cleared by the California Secretary of State and sponsors can begin to collect signatures in an effort to have the law placed on the 2018 general election ballot.
The initiative authored by Daniel Ehinger would ban abortion without any exceptions and abortion clinics would be charged with first degree murder for killing an unborn child.
The summary that Daniel Ehinger released reads: “[It] Eliminates a woman’s state constitutional privacy right to terminate a pregnancy, and to use certain birth control methods. Outlaws: abortion including cases of rape, incest, or to save the life of a woman; intentionally terminating a fertilized egg; most embryonic stem cell research, some fetal tissue research; and many in vitro fertilization procedures.”
In order for an initiative to be passed it must go through the strict and grueling process of going through the Attorney General. They advocate must first prepare the legal title and summary that is required to be on the petitions that they are releasing. When that official language is complete; the Attorney General will then forward it to the proponent and to the Secretary of State, and then it may be released for signatures. The Secretary of State then sets deadlines and rules for the county elections officials and anyone else involved.
According to NBC-Bay Area, Ehinger must collect 585,407 signatures. This number consists of registered voters in the state of California, and contributes to the eight percent of votes that were casted in the 2014 general election for governor in the state of California.
While this may be a large number to attain, Ehinger hopes that this will be the time that he finally is able to abolish abortion for good in the State of California.
Ehinger posted on his Facebook page saying: “We received our circulating title to gather signatures and work to get Abolishing Abortion on the November 6th, 2018 ballot through a state ballot initiative that would amend our constitution. Please pray for our efforts. JESUS!”
Additionally, in order to qualify for the ballot, he has 180 days to collect petitions for the initiative, and the signatures must be submitted to the Attorney General no later than March 5, 2018.
