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| SPONSOR: | Sharer | DATE TYPED: | 3/5/01 | HB | |||
| SHORT TITLE: | Life Begins at Fertilization, CA | SB | SJR27 | ||||
| ANALYST: | Esquibel | ||||||
| Recurring
or Non-Rec |
Fund
Affected | ||||
| FY01 | FY02 | FY01 | FY02 | ||
| N/A | |||||
(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)
SOURCES OF INFORMATION
Attorney General's Office (AG)
NM Health Policy Commission (HPC)
SUMMARY
Synopsis of Bill
Senate Joint Resolution 27 would amend Article II, Section 18 of the NM Constitution to provide that human life begins at the moment of fertilization and continues until natural death. In effect, the resolution confers due process and equal protection rights guaranteed under Article II, Section 18 from the moment of conception.
Significant Issues
The AG indicates SJR27 would be unconstitutional to the extent it abridged rights protected by the U.S. Constitution, including a woman's right to choose abortion before fetal viability.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS
Additional funding would be necessary to implement the ballot measure for a constitutional amendment to be considered by the voters.
RAE/njw