1. United States
2. Mo.
3. Letter

The proposed legislation to "implement equal protection under the 14th article of amendment to the Constitution for the right to life of each born and preborn human person" raises concerns about its constitutional basis and implications. The 14th Amendment was ratified after the Civil War to grant citizenship and equal protection under the law to formerly enslaved people. Extending its application to fetuses would be an extreme interpretation that goes against established legal precedents on abortion rights. This bill appears to be an attempt to circumvent or overturn the Supreme Court's landmark Roe v. Wade decision which recognized a constitutional right to abortion. I urge you to carefully examine the legal and ethical ramifications of such a measure that could strip reproductive rights from millions of Americans. We should focus on evidence-based policies that improve access to healthcare and support families, rather than divisive proposals that undermine well-established civil liberties.