On November 8th Mississippi will hold general elections. Also on the ballot will be three very important initiatives on which we will have the opportunity to vote: Personhood, eminent domain, and voter I.D. Below, you will find the exact wording as it will appear on the ballots. What do you think of these initiatives and how will you plan to support or defeat them?
Statewide Initiative Measure No. 26 - The Personhood Ammendment
Should the term ‘person’ be defined to include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning, or the equivalent thereof?
Although the significance of semantics is frequently downplayed, I believe it is important that phrasing on initiatives be done very carefully as it could inadvertently set precedence for other iniatives. Terms should be used strictly in the context determined by Merriam-Webster. In this scenario, person is defined as such: one (as a human being, a partnership, or a corporation) that is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties.
ReplyDeleteDeliberating the question from this perspective causes the need for more careful consideration. What we are really considering here is more than just whether a phrase should be used and actually whether a zygote should have rights. This definitely emphasizes the importance that that role of semantics plays in politics.