Colorado Personhood Coalition: Anti-Abortion Group Turns In Signatures To Get Onto Ballot For Third Time

The Colorado Personhood Coalition submitted about 26,000 more signatures than the required amount Monday in an effort to get an anti-abortion measure onto the November ballot for the third time.

Voters previously defeated the "personhood" amendment in 2008 and 2010 by 3-1 margins.

The proposal would amend the state's Constitution to ban all abortion -- including for victims of rape or incest -- some fertility treatments and ban stem-cell research.

"Colorado's Personhood language is the first of it's kind," said Keith Mason, president of Personhood USA. "Our opposition has built a reputation of using scare tactics to deter voters from human life amendments. Now that we have specifically outlined the effects of the amendment within the law, we believe that Colorado voters will not be intimidated by those who profit from abortion."

Mason said that this year the ballot language has been changed to "prohibit the intentional killing of any innocent person" and would not criminalize spontaneous miscarriages.

Planned Parenthood however cautions that though the language has changed slightly this year, the measure will have the same outcomes.

“Planned Parenthood will work hard to educate voters. We will knock on doors, canvass, phone-bank, and more. Health decisions should be left to a woman, her doctor and her faith -- not politicians or the government. Coloradoans already voted this down twice, we hope voters will again vote ‘no,” said Vicki Cowart, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

The Colorado Secretary of State's Office has until September 5th to determine the validity of the signatures.