Virginia and Oklahoma passed versions of thethe personhood bill --which…
Republicans hoping to take down both abortion and President Obama in 2012 think they have a winning issue in the debate over "personhood."
In several states, new legislation defining human life as beginning at conception - not birth - is being voted on, making it a hot-button social issue a key factor in the election cycle.
Just this week, Republican lawmakers in Virginia passed a personhood bill in the key battleground state's House of Delegates. And in Oklahoma, the Senate overwhelmingly gave the green light to a similar plan on Wednesday.
In Virginia, the bill still must go to the Senate. And in Oklahoma it must go before the House before coming law.
While such laws don't exist yet - personhood legislation lost in referendums twice in Colorado and once in Mississippi since 2008 - proponents of personhood are pointing to the latest victories in Virginia and Oklahoma as proof of their progress.
And in at least a dozen states, anti-abortion activists are attempting to place such initiatives on the ballots this year.
The laws, intended to override Roe v. Wade and effectively prohibit virtually all abortions, have Democrats and pro-choice activists concerned that the Supreme Court's landmark ruling, which gives women the constitutional right to have abortions, is slowly being dismantled.
Proponents of personhood are optimistic the laws will be put in place soon.
"I have absolute certainty we'll see personhood as law," Keith Mason, president of Personhood USA, told the Daily News. "There's a good chance it could happen this year."
Such legislation takes time, he said, just as gay marriage laws have.
"We're really just starting out as a movement," he said.
Most experts have long assumed the economy would be the biggest issue in the presidential election this fall. But with the jobless rate having gone down five months in a row, the culture war is coming to the fore, with renewed focus on the funding of Planned Parenthood, federal mandates for contraception coverage, gay marriage and now, personhood.
"It's getting harder for Republicans to run on the economy issue. The stock market’s doing well, so they're shifting gears to social issues," said David Schultz, a political scientist professor at Hamline University
In several states, new legislation defining human life as beginning at conception - not birth - is being voted on, making it a hot-button social issue a key factor in the election cycle.
Just this week, Republican lawmakers in Virginia passed a personhood bill in the key battleground state's House of Delegates. And in Oklahoma, the Senate overwhelmingly gave the green light to a similar plan on Wednesday.
In Virginia, the bill still must go to the Senate. And in Oklahoma it must go before the House before coming law.
While such laws don't exist yet - personhood legislation lost in referendums twice in Colorado and once in Mississippi since 2008 - proponents of personhood are pointing to the latest victories in Virginia and Oklahoma as proof of their progress.
And in at least a dozen states, anti-abortion activists are attempting to place such initiatives on the ballots this year.
The laws, intended to override Roe v. Wade and effectively prohibit virtually all abortions, have Democrats and pro-choice activists concerned that the Supreme Court's landmark ruling, which gives women the constitutional right to have abortions, is slowly being dismantled.
Proponents of personhood are optimistic the laws will be put in place soon.
"I have absolute certainty we'll see personhood as law," Keith Mason, president of Personhood USA, told the Daily News. "There's a good chance it could happen this year."
Such legislation takes time, he said, just as gay marriage laws have.
"We're really just starting out as a movement," he said.
Most experts have long assumed the economy would be the biggest issue in the presidential election this fall. But with the jobless rate having gone down five months in a row, the culture war is coming to the fore, with renewed focus on the funding of Planned Parenthood, federal mandates for contraception coverage, gay marriage and now, personhood.
"It's getting harder for Republicans to run on the economy issue. The stock market’s doing well, so they're shifting gears to social issues," said David Schultz, a political scientist professor at Hamline University
"The social issues take a backseat when folks are concerned about
war and peace and the economy. But as things stabilize, the social
issues come on the table," said Democratic political strategist Peter
Fenn.
Republican presidential hopefuls are eager to say that
they're anti-abortion on the campaign trail. Newt Gingrich, Rick
Santorum and Ron Paul have all inked a Personhood USA pledge saying
abortions are "always wrong and should be prohibited."
Mitt Romney - who once supported legalized abortion but now says the Supreme Court should overturn Roe vs. Wade - hasn't signed the pledge.
"Clearly there is a tactic that the right wing is using here to put on the ballot things they know will have an appeal to turn out the vote," said Fenn.
He added that pro-choice activists should be very concerned, especially if Santorum - a strict social conservative who has been surging in the polls - seals up the GOP nomination.
"It's not just because he's pro-life, but because of the extreme nature of his views," he said.
Schultz said the current abortion debate is at one of its most critical moments since the 1973 landmark decision.
"It's a direct assault on Roe," he said.
He went as far as to say that Roe vs. Wade could be challenged in the Supreme Court if one of the personhood bills is signed into law. He predicted, because of the makeup of the court, that judges would rule 5-4 in favor of placing additional restrictions on reproductive freedom.
Beth Shipp, political director of abortion-rights group NARAL, said the fight against personhood would not be difficult one.
"It is so extreme and so out of the mainstream of what most voters, even self-proclaimed pro-life voters think in terms of government intervention," she said.
"If the other side is trying to use this as a turnout mechanism then they're sadly mistaken about the effectiveness of their strategy," Shipp added.
Mitt Romney - who once supported legalized abortion but now says the Supreme Court should overturn Roe vs. Wade - hasn't signed the pledge.
"Clearly there is a tactic that the right wing is using here to put on the ballot things they know will have an appeal to turn out the vote," said Fenn.
He added that pro-choice activists should be very concerned, especially if Santorum - a strict social conservative who has been surging in the polls - seals up the GOP nomination.
"It's not just because he's pro-life, but because of the extreme nature of his views," he said.
Schultz said the current abortion debate is at one of its most critical moments since the 1973 landmark decision.
"It's a direct assault on Roe," he said.
He went as far as to say that Roe vs. Wade could be challenged in the Supreme Court if one of the personhood bills is signed into law. He predicted, because of the makeup of the court, that judges would rule 5-4 in favor of placing additional restrictions on reproductive freedom.
Beth Shipp, political director of abortion-rights group NARAL, said the fight against personhood would not be difficult one.
"It is so extreme and so out of the mainstream of what most voters, even self-proclaimed pro-life voters think in terms of government intervention," she said.
"If the other side is trying to use this as a turnout mechanism then they're sadly mistaken about the effectiveness of their strategy," Shipp added.
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