To the members of the Mississippi House Constitution Committee:
On Nov. 8, 2011, Mississippi spoke on the issue of personhood. Fifty-eight percent of our great state voted down Initiative 26. Our citizens were well-informed when they voted. We were not mislead or influenced by scare tactics. We knew that personhood is not right for our state, nor is it right for any state.
Restricting the rights of women, especially concerning our reproductive rights, is wrong. Rather than limiting women’s access to birth control and banning abortion, perhaps we should be focusing on properly educating the people of our state by introducing sex education in the schools and by providing access to birth control of all types. Wouldn’t this be a better way to reduce the number of abortions in Mississippi while still protecting the rights of women? Banning abortion will not be the end to abortion–it will only lead to the deaths of many women who are desperate and seek out alternative means of ending pregnancies.
Concerning hormonal birth control, many women need it not only to prevent unwanted pregnancies (which may lead women to choosing abortion), but women also seek out hormonal birth control for medical reasons. It’s a matter of life and death for some women. Please do not align yourself with the likes of Personhood USA, a group whose intentions are to deny women their reproductive rights and–in extreme cases when it comes down to choosing between the woman and a potential human being–the right to life.
On behalf of the women and men in Mississippi who helped fight against Personhood USA and Initiative 26, I ask that you help put an end to this war on women. Please, strike down House Concurrent Resolution No. 61. We will be forever grateful for a proper representation of the people of Mississippi. We said no. Please, listen to us. Trust the women and families of the great state of Mississippi.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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