Archived Story

Initiative 26 has unintended consequence

Published 12:09am Thursday, November 3, 2011

At a recent Homochitto Valley Medical Society meeting, we discussed the upcoming election and constitutional amendment Initiative 26.

Those present agreed to send a letter to The Democrat as a public forum expressing our concerns about the proposition. The initiative seeks to declare the fertilized egg of a female to be a person with all legal protections. We anticipate complex and agonizing problems occurring if the initiative passes.

These issues, little discussed so far, will arise in doctors’ offices in Natchez and in the emergency rooms and surgical suites of the hospitals and will affect all of us.

If a fertilized egg is given legal status as a person, then destruction of the egg would be declared the crime of manslaughter or murder.

The point of the initiative, to end abortion, is well intentioned; it seems like voting for free speech or the right to bear arms. But we all know there are nuances to these rights.

We don’t allow free speech in a theatre when someone stands to yell “Fire!” and we don’t give the right to bear arms to a felon. Catastrophes have made these restrictions necessary.

Imagine now a woman brought into the emergency room with abdominal pain and found to have a tubal pregnancy, one in which a fertilized egg never made it to the womb.

Untreated, the result is a disastrous rupture and fatal hemorrhage taking the life of the mother with her fetus. Current treatment is emergency surgery to end the pregnancy by removal and sacrifice of the fetus, thus saving the mother’s life.

In this example, if Initiative 26 were law the physician could be arrested for murder or wrongful death along with the mother who signed the consent for her surgical procedure. The alternative to surgery would be to admit the mother to the hospital and keep her as comfortable as possible like a terminal cancer case until she dies with her fetus.

A question could arise if a mother developed any other life-threatening condition, such as molar pregnancy, severe toxemia, or some breast cancers, warranting immediate delivery. Could she find herself prosecuted for this? Could her doctor also find himself in the middle of a long court battle while someone attempts to prove a point?

There are other examples, but you get the idea.

We doubt many people have thought of the repercussions of Initiative 26, but chaos is a mild term for the medical and social problems created.

We as a community cannot afford to lose doctors who would move away to avoid the chance of prosecution.

While we sympathize with the feelings behind the initiative, current procedures are the most humane way to address these difficult medical situations.

We ask you to consider your vote carefully.

Dr. Roderick Givens

president of and

on behalf the Homochitto Valley Medical Society

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  • http://www.endtime.com Keith

    To Dr. Givens, get educated on what is really is going on. You have to do what you can to save the life. If there is no other way but having to end a life, which medical doctors are confronted with in many situation, then and only then a choice can be made!!! This Amendment when passed, has room for this. So get more educated on Amendment 26 and know the facts, not the lies!!!! Even G-D has stated to men for who knew them before they where formed in their mothers womb.

    Jeremiah 1:5 Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; and before
    you came forth out of the womb I sanctified you, and I ordained you a
    prophet unto the nationshttp://voteyeson26.net/JESUS CHRIST is coming soon. Don’t look busy, cause you can not fool HIM!!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    Dr Givens do you really think abortion will be terminated totally, it’s very unlikely. 26 will pass and exceptions will be made.

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    This is typical bad thing that the do nothing party the republicans are always pushing and in my home state of Ms. makes me sick!! I’m voting NO to this ignorant Initative 26 that even the Catholic bishop in Jackson has ruled to NO that tells me this is such a vicious approach of this Ms. republicans!!!!! Ms. people this is our time to clear the air and vote Democrats into local and state levels so lets geturdone!!!!!!

  • Anonymous

    KRAT, just like all the ‘dirty’ Democrats, notice I did say ‘dirty’ Democrats, (for there are many who are good,) you want to use good space to sling YOUR ‘dirty’ mud. Good Democrats do not do that, have you noticed??  I have!!!!. Good Democrats are pulling away from the ‘dirty’ Democrats by the drove b/c they know they (dirty Democrats) are not good for the American way. Why don’t you try acting like a responsible adult and stop YOUR mud slinging?

  • Ham Bone

    If exceptions are going to be made, then why haven’t they been outlined in this initiative?  

  • Anonymous

    Proposition 26 was introduced under the assumption that there are enough ignorant, stump jumping yokels in Mississippi to get it passed. We will find out if that assumption is true!

  • Anonymous

    ONLY; IN “M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I”

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    Say 26 passes, Ms. can’t enforce it because of the roe vs wade is a federal law as that of immigration laws for its will not be law!!

  • Ham Bone

    Congratulations on the spelling 07, tomorrow we will cover proper use of semicolons.

  • Anonymous

    When is “lower case day”?…hopefully soon.

  • Anonymous

    Yes, because those are the only kind of people interested in the sanctity of life.

    When all you have as the basis of your argument is bigotry and name-calling, you are not intellectually capable of actually making an argument.

  • Anonymous

    You know, if I knew as little about current events as you, I might refrain from commenting.  This is a ballot initiative.  I was brought by a group of private citizens, not politicians or a political party.  Don’t let your ignorance of the situation prevent you from just hurtling random, prejudiced insults, though.  It’s what I’ve come to expect.

  • Anonymous

    Let’s all be grateful it wasn’t a meaningless rant.

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    I’m just stating facts and truth and you can call it ignorance or whatever for Phil Bryant is one of its leaders and all the whigs are pushing it. This is a very wrong thing and is going to be defeated but why worry it can’t stand up to federal court any how so whats the argument??!!

    In a message dated 11/3/2011 4:44:08 P.M. Central Daylight Time, writes:

    (http://disqus.com/)

    Crakalakin wrote, in response to khakirat:
    You know, if I knew as little about current events as you, I might refrain from commenting. This is a ballot initiative. I was brought by a group of private citizens, not politicians or a political party. Don’t let your ignorance of the situation prevent you from just hurtling random, prejudiced insults, though. It’s what I’ve come to expect.

    _Link to comment_ (http://disq.us/42bq1y)

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    You can call it what you want but I feel very strong for my party of the working people in this nation and I tell it as facts and truth for the Democrats is the only party that stand up for the poor and middle class. The no nothing party of the republican do nothing to work with the President or to help pass the jobs bill to get the unemployed to work but the very opposite . What goes around will come around and these republicans will get the message from the voters!!! These folks in all the big cities are making there voices be heard of all this greedy bunch and I wish I was able to be in the middle with them!!!!!! I was during Vietnam days and this isn’t much different where the poor got drafted and the rich didn’t get drafted but I guess this is the way most wars goes.!!

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_CVUIUI3V6L2XNEWGDKL2XU6MUY Danielle

    Amen, Dr. Roderick Givens. I will  vote no on 
    Initiative 26. 

  • Anonymous

    This was not made simply by private citizens. Do the research. Personhood USA is based out of Colorado, and after several attempts failed attempts at getting this amendment passed there, they have taken it to MS. Yes, it is a general slap to MS. They believe that people will blindly vote anti-abortion when this bill is not simply an abortion bill- it is an assault upon women’s health and rights.

  • Anonymous

    “I’m just stating facts and truth and you can call it ignorance or whatever for Phil Bryant is one of its leaders and all the whigs are pushing it.”

    I call it ignorance because that’s what it is, khaki.  Phil Bryant is not one of it’s leaders nor is he “pushing” it.  He has endorsed it.  Guess who else has endorsed it and backs it?  Johnny Dupree, The Democratic candidate for Governor.  You make assumptions based on prejudice that don’t turn out to be true.  I have the ideology that I do as a result of NOT doing that.  Find out the facts and details then form an opinion.   Doing the reverse simply serves to display ignorance.

    All ignorance is is a lack of knowledge.  We are all ignorant with regard to a variety of subjects, so that is no slur.  I respect you but you have a tendency to chunk mud based on things you know little about.

    “This is a very wrong thing and is going to be defeated but why worry it can’t stand up to federal court any how so whats the argument??!!”

    That may very well be but it is not what my comment to you was referring to.  My comment to you was in reference to your incorrect assertions, which you seem to still be making with the Bryant jab.

    For the record, I am not in favor of this particular initiative.  There is a wrong way to try to do a right and initiative 26 is the wrong way.  I am pro-life and that is my opinion on 26.

  • Anonymous

    I suspect because the whole point of this endeavor is to get a case on abortion back into the Supreme Court.  I seriously doubt this initiative is meant for anything else, including being made law in Mississippi.  If they actually intended for it to be a lasting law, they likely would have included such provisions as a means of compromise as those are not terribly unpopular among pro-lifers.

    And kudos to you for being one of the few capable of handling this subject with class.

  • Anonymous

    Let us assume live begins in Mississippi… sorry, never mind.

  • Anonymous

    I will state that I am unequivocally pro-life, and I’m not afraid to put my name on my stance.  However, Proposition 26 causes me grave concern because it is so broadly worded.  As someone else on the forum said, it is no more nor less an attempt to get a case into the courts as a challenge to Roe v. Wade, but I have serious doubts that this is the case to take there  for those who wish to have a real run at overturning Roe and putting abortion controls back in the hands of the states where it was before Roe. I do not believe all the hype that opponents of Prop 26 are putting out, however I see too much room in this for a grandstanding lawyer somewhere to drag a truly innocent person (such as a woman with an ectopic pregnancy and her doctor) through the courts in the hope of making a point.  If, by some miracle, Prop 26 becomes law and survives court challenges, then the very broadness of its wording means that every exception would have to be fought out through legislation or in the courts, which would be a whole new set of nightmares.  I back the intent of Prop 26 100%, and hope for the day when abortion on demand is a thing of the past, but I do not think this is the way to go about it.

  • http://www.natchezdemocrat.com khakirat

    I stand corrected!!!

    In a message dated 11/3/2011 9:19:15 P.M. Central Daylight Time, writes:

    (http://disqus.com/)

    Crakalakin wrote, in response to khakirat:
    “I’m just stating facts and truth and you can call it ignorance or whatever for Phil Bryant is one of its leaders and all the whigs are pushing it.” I call it ignorance because that’s what it is, khaki. Phil Bryant is not one of it’s leaders nor is he “pushing” it. He has endorsed it. Guess who else has endorsed it and backs it? Johnny Dupree, The Democratic candidate for Governor. You make assumptions based on prejudice that don’t turn out to be true. I have the ideology that I do as a result of NOT doing that. Find out the facts and details then form an opinion. Doing the reverse simply serves to display ignorance.

    All ignorance is is a lack of knowledge. We are all ignorant with regard to a variety of subjects, so that is no slur. I respect you but you have a tendency to chunk mud based on things you know little about.

    “This is a very wrong thing and is going to be defeated but why worry it
    can’t stand up to federal court any how so whats the argument??!!”

    That may very well be but it is not what my comment to you was referring
    to. My comment to you was in reference to your incorrect assertions, which
    you seem to still be making with the Bryant jab.

    For the record, I am not in favor of this particular initiative. There is
    a wrong way to try to do a right and initiative 26 is the wrong way. I am
    pro-life and that is my opinion on 26.

    _Link to comment_ (http://disq.us/42gyt6)

  • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_QHGOJYWUOS3NGKURMUHW6ZWUAY mbillie1125

    I live in MS and I am voting NO on this issue.

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