Bob Marshall must be in his glory. After years of thwarted attempts, he has finally gotten his personhood bill out of committee and onto the floor of the General Assembly.
The bill comes to us as a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Ostensibly introduced as a means to punish fetal wrongful deaths such as in the Lacy Peterson case, nothing could be further from reality and the bill’s actual purpose. Marshall’s intent is to have the bill in place ready should Roe vs. Wade to be overturned. Should that happen, abortion of any kind would be illegal in Virginia. Many people say that will never happen. Don’t bet the ranch.
The 14th Amendment of the United States Constitution clearly spells out personhood:
Section 1. All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
This seems pretty clear to me and to other people possessing the ability to read.
Personhood to a couple wanting a child probably begins before the child is even conceived. This projection is emotional personhood. I remember when we decided it was time for the first little Moonhowler to be brought into the world. She had several names probably before she existed in a cellular state. That’s just how we are when we want children. Pregnancy sometimes comes when least expected and sometimes when it is very unwelcome. Sometimes pregnancies are troubled and there are problems with the fetus. Problems change the emotional playing field. These are the gray areas and times that cause a great emotional conflict to women always and often to the men in their lives. No legislation in the world really touches any of the above scenes, nor should it.
The inherent danger in a personhood bill is legally defining a zygote in the same terms as your five year old, your wife, or your husband. Zygotes are not sentient beings. Embryos are not people.
These are areas best left for theologians. HB 1 is fraught with flaws and danger. For starters, it will outlaw most hormonal forms of birth control (another extreme goal freely acknowledged by Bob Marshall.)
Bob Marshall needs to put his bill back in his pocket and go peddle his religious ideas elsewhere. As his constituent, I am tired of his religion being shoved down my throat.
