On Tuesday, November 8th, Californians will vote on Prop 1, the “Reproductive Freedom” ballot initiative that would amend the state Constitution and establish a “right” to abortion.
In a legal memorandum, Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF) notes that the amendment would allow women to seek abortions at any stage of pregnancy, including gruesome partial birth abortions, and for any reason. The amendment “could also allow men to avoid child support payments, force the state to procure women to be surrogate mothers, and allow children to remove healthy reproductive organs without parental knowledge or consent. The proposed amendment uses intentionally vague terms that threaten the public health, safety, and general welfare of Californians,” notes ADF (Alliance Defending Freedom).
By limiting common sense limitations and regulations, the initiative endangers women and their babies while undermining the state’s responsibility to protect other fundamental rights. For example, the state would be barred from protecting the “conscience rights of doctors and nurses to not participate in ending a human life, parental rights to raise and educate children, rights of association for hospitals and care centers to hire mission-oriented employees, the free speech right to advocate for life-affirming care, and the fundamental right to life of every human being.” These are just a few of the many issues with this proposed amendment.
