Lawsuit Filed Over Oklahoma Personhood Ballot Measure

The American Civil Liberties Union, the ACLU of Oklahoma and the Center for Reproductive Rights has filed a lawsuit on behalf of six Oklahoma voters against an Oklahoma's personhood ballot initiative.

The group filed a protest with the Oklahoma Supreme Court Thursday that contends the proposed constitutional amendment is unconstitutional because it threatens the rights of women.

Read the ACLU petition.

The group also maintains the proposal violates the state's single-subject rule and that the explanation of the amendment is unclear.

An anti-abortion group launched the petition drive earlier this month, saying they want to ban abortions in Oklahoma and lay the groundwork for a legal challenge to the landmark Supreme Court ruling that legalized the practice.

The author of Senate Bill 1433, State Senator Brian Crain of Tulsa says the ballot initiative is not intended to outlaw abortions but rather to declare that Oklahomans believes life begins at conception.

Read Senate Bill 1433.