Miss. House defiant, passes "personhood" bill

"Personhood" Amendment 26 supporter Joyce Haskins, with her grandchild Landry Bruce, waves to passersby outside the voting booths at the Oxford Conference Center in Oxford, Miss. on Nov. 8, 2011. / AP Photo/Oxford Eagle

JACKSON, Miss. — A bill that would require physicians to search for a fetal heartbeat before performing an abortion has passed the House.

The bill would potentially require women to have transvaginal ultrasounds of the sort that were contested in Virginia recently, because a heartbeat cannot be heard through a traditional ultrasound until five or six weeks into a pregnancy, legislators said.

House Bill 1196 contains language similar to the "personhood amendment" language that would have defined life as beginning at conception but was defeated by voters last year. The bill defines an "unborn human individual" as "an individual organism of the species homo sapiens from fertilization until live birth."

An amendment to the bill that would have prohibited vasectomies in the state was defeated.

The bill passed 78-36.

Meanwhile, Mississippi groups that oppose abortion want to put the question to voters again.

The opponents will seek another state constitutional amendment to define life as beginning at conception, they told reporters last week at the Capitol.

Voters defeated the so-called "personhood amendment" by a wide margin in November 2011. Similar amendments died in this year's Legislature until recently.

About two dozen women and children surrounded by 25 empty strollers vowed to again go through the complex process of bringing the amendment to a popular vote. They say the new initiative will address concerns of voters who opposed it last year. They also say they have hired law firm Liberty Counsel to assist in drafting the new initiative.

The groups plan to collect signatures in hopes of putting the amendment on the 2013 ballot.

[frankblank]

"State Rape, yes we can!" is the new GOP slogan. If called on it, they will point out that it is merely a plastic tube. Who more qualified to insert a plastic tube into a woman than the Greedy Obscene Pigs?

[[e-mail]]

You just have to keep reminding yourself, half of all people are below average, and most of them live in the South.

[frankblank]

Dig it. The saying was always, "The stupid shall rise again."

[[e-mail]]

The really smart Southerners understand the word most.

[sandiegopete]

This is just one more example of the Republican war against women.

Until the umbilical cord is cut the fetus is a part of the woman and not an independent person. The men of the Republican party have decided that they will make decisions on women's health as they see fit whether women like it or not.

Is there any way to stop the Republican party from engaging in social engineering? Seems the only thing the Republican party want's to do is dictate to everbody else how they should live their lives.

[Zann-Zel]

A vasectomy goes against God's will. If God wants that man to father a child, who are "we" to go against Him?

Just as Viagra goes against God's Will. If God does NOT want that man to father a child, who are we to go against Him?

But those things concern "men" and the goal here is not to control men. The goal is to control Women.

[Lindag10]

It's VERY telling that the anti-abortion crowd is also AGAINST contraception. These nuts that ignore the wishes of their constituents need to GO.

[Lindag10]

Zann: I find it strange that the SAME Bible these anti-abortion people use to condemn abortions as MURDER, also gives parents the right to have their children that are already born put to death (Deuteronomy) but they of course ignore the parts that don't suit their agenda.

[occupy_cbs]

Despite Mississippi voters defeating the so-called "personhood amendment" by a wide margin in November 2011, the BIG GOVERNMENT religious right republican NAZIs, are bound and determined to shove this unwarranted and unwanted intrusive medical procedure down the throats and up the vaginas of women, by men with unlimited power!

[Rafterman11]

And considering this is far right wing Mississippi, the fact that it was defeated by a large margin is pretty telling.

[Zann-Zel]

Government, of the people, by the people, for the people..........not anymore!
Now you put a vote to "THE PEOPLE" - and still these arrogant few think they know better! Their arrogance is unbelievable!

[occupy_cbs]

There is a sickness in the deep REDneck south, and after voters dismissed the "personhood" ballot initiative, the religious right defiantly thumbs its nose at the WILL OF THE PEOPLE and passes legislation requiring an intrusive and unwarranted medical procedure.

These Nazis in Mississippi truly are BIG GOVERNMENT republicans!

[retiredgustav]

In Mississippi as long as a politician say he is against gay marriages he will be elected. The next thing for them will be to repeal the 19th amendment.

[pr_boxer]

Women MUST use the power of their votes to reverse this movement. It's the only way.

[Zann-Zel]

Women, we have to vote out every Republican! Every single one! Maybe then they might get the message!

[Lindag10]

The people of Mississippi ALREADY voted this down, so now the representatives are doing an end run around the very people they were elected to represent. Just goes to show that putting religious nuts in power is foolish. I hope ALL the legislators that voted for this measure are sent packing next election. And why on Earth were they trying to ban vasectomies?

[afmcalax]

The conservative ultra-religious Nazis are beating on the door. They will never go away. The enslavement of women under religious pretext must be defeated !!!

[SocialWrkrKP]

Umm, what would be the purpose in outlawing vasectomies? I would really love to know the logic behind that.

[Zann-Zel]

The logic? Well a vasectomy goes against God's will. If God wants that man to father a child, who are "we" to go against him?

Just as Viagra goes against God's Will. If God does NOT want that man to father a child, who are we to go against him?

But those things concern "men" and the goal here is not to control men. The goal is to control Women.