Anti-Abortion Measure OK'd For Colorado

DENVER -- A proposed state constitutional amendment defining a fertilized human egg as a person was certified Thursday for the November ballot, moving Colorado a step closer to an election battle over abortion rights.

Secretary of State Mike Coffman said backers of the proposal turned in an estimated 103,000 valid signatures, far more than the 76,000 required.

Kristi Burton, the prime mover behind the measure, said her group, Colorado for Equal Rights, will target voters who personally oppose abortion but don't want to impose their views on others.

Burton said polling shows those voters make up about 20 percent of the electorate.

"Our job is to put the truth out there for the voters," she said. "Science is on our side."

Opponents said the proposed amendment could affect birth control because the most widely used form of contraception works by preventing fertilized eggs from attaching to the uterus.