Voters in Mississippi have decided that a fertilised egg should not be granted the legal rights and privileges of a child or adult human. About 57% voted against Initiative 26 – a ballot to amend the state’s constitution to redefine “person” as “every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof”. This amendment would have effectively criminalised abortion in Mississippi in all or most cases. Opponents of the initiative expressed concern about its implications for IVF, some forms of contraception, and for human embryonic stem-cell research.

The November 8 election is the third time a personhood amendment has gone to a vote in the US. Similar amendments were attempted in Colorado in 2008 and 2010, and they received, respectively, 27% and 29% of the vote. Although the amendment was quashed in Mississippi, its greater success than Colorado’s amendment suggests that there will be more personhood amendments on ballots in next year’s elections. ~ Nature News, Nov 8