An Illinois county court ruling that a fertilized unimplanted egg is a person was overturned by an appellate court last week.
Executive Director of the Illinois ACLU, Colleen Connell writes on the ACLU blog that if the decision was “left undisturbed, the lower court’s decision could have limited the ability of women in Illinois to access contraceptive services and genetic testing.”
This issue is particularly relevant because a Colorado ballot measure (see PDF) that will be on the November ballot would grant “personhood” to a fertilized egg if approved by voters. Personhood initiatives not only put a woman’s right to an abortion in danger but also threaten birth control and emergency contraception, IUDs, and in vitro fertilization clinics.
