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‘Personhood’ fails; gambling measure OK’dPeter Marcus, DDN Staff WriterWednesday, November 5, 2008 | |
Voters yesterday overwhelmingly killed a measure that would have effectively banned abortion in Colorado, but said yes to increasing the maximum bet limit at Colorado casinos to $100.
Amendment 48, the so-called personhood initiative, would have defined a fertilized egg as a “person” in the Colorado Constitution, which would have given a fetus the equal right of life, liberty and property. Opponents argued that the measure would have turned doctors into murderers and stripped women of the right to choose.
Voters last night killed the measure by a two-thirds majority to the joy of opponents who said the initiative would have led the state and nation down a slippery slope toward overturning Roe v. Wade.
“The No on 48 campaign knew from the beginning that if Colorado voters heard the truth about this deceptive amendment, they would reject it,” said Crystal Clinkenbeard, spokeswoman for the opposition. “It shows that defining a fertilized egg as a person is too extreme for Colorado and too extreme for the rest of the country.”
Clinkenbeard said she hopes the overwhelming vote in opposition will send a message to backers of the initiative not to ever try it again in Colorado.
Kristi Burton, lead proponent of the personhood initiative, said voters likely rejected the measure simply because it is too new.
“It’s the first time this issue has come before Colorado, or any state, so we would believe that the more people that hear medical and scientific proof that an unborn child is a person, the more people will support it,” she said.
Meanwhile, a measure that would raise the maximum bet limit at Colorado casinos from $5 to $100 was backed by voters by 58 percent as of 10 p.m. last night.
Amendment 50 still allows residents of Central City, Black Hawk and Cripple Creek to vote to extend casino hours, approve additional games and increase the maximum bet limit. Most of the additional gaming tax revenue would go to Colorado community colleges and to the gaming cities and counties if residents in those mountain towns agree to raise the limits and add games like craps and roulette.
Opponents believe raising the gaming limits will lead to gamblers fueling addictive habits, as well as people staying late at the casinos, drinking, then getting in their cars and driving home down dangerous mountain roads.
“This money, for a very worthy cause, comes at a pretty high price and we need to keep an eye on the casinos to make sure that the negative aspects of gambling are monitored,” said Scott Yates, spokesman for the No on 50, Keep Vegas Out campaign.
The Colorado Community College System, however, was ecstatic with the results.
“We are really excited and thankful to the voters of Colorado,” said Nancy McCallin, president of the Colorado Community College System. “(Amendment 50) provides a needed influx of money to our community colleges … we can do more when we have the money.”
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