JACKSON, Miss. (AP) — Mississippi has only one abortion clinic and some of the toughest abortion regulations in the nation. Now, voters in this Bible Belt state are being asked to amend their constitution to declare that life begins when a human egg is fertilized.
Supporters of the "personhood" initiative say it's intended to provoke a court fight aimed at overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide.
Opponents say the proposal could criminalize what should be private medical decisions.
Initiative 26 will be on the Mississippi ballot Nov. 8. It would change the state constitution to define "person" as "every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the functional equivalent thereof."
Colorado voters rejected similar personhood initiatives in 2008 and 2010.
© Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.