Mississippi to Vote to Define Embryos as People

Mississippi conservatives have won the all-clear from the state Supreme Court, allowing them to put their abortion-busting initiative that would label embryos as "people" on the November ballot. The vote could totally shut down abortion rights by defining a "person" as existing from the "moment of fertilization," thereby conceivably opening the way for murder charges for abortions. "This initiative is extreme and could severely undermine women's access to birth control, in vitro fertilization, and life-saving medical procedures," said a spokesman for the ACLU of Mississippi. Supporters hailed the ruling, and warned opponents will continue to spread "fear, confusion, and dire 'sky-is-falling' warnings about this simple amendment" in the run-up to the November vote, notes the Guardian. (More Mississippi stories.)