There’s going to be a measure on the ballot for North Dakota voters this year called the Personhood Act (Measure 1). It is supposed to protect one’s life until they die. With this vague description, which has been a concern for many, voters may be left wondering what exactly it means.

Those behind the act have the main goal of making abortion illegal in North Dakota, as it would protect the fetus’ “personhood.” The legalities of abortion are heavily debated throughout the country, and since March when N.D. Governor Jack Dalrymple signed what the New York Times called the “nation’s toughest abortion restrictions,” our state is a national hotbed for the issue. Whether one’s views of abortion derive from religious perspectives or not, the limitations on people, especially women, from this act would be devastating on multiple levels.

Measure 1 would not only make abortion illegal, it would also outlaw do not resuscitate (DNR) orders, deny families from taking a member off life support, make in-vitro fertilization nearly impossible and treat women who suffer miscarriage like criminals.

Families who have a loved one on life support and feel the need to remove them from it also make this decision with difficulty. The pressure financially and emotionally on those families would be severe. For those wanting to take this decision away from their loved ones, signing DNRs would no longer be effective, and they would then be put on life support.

Trauma from this act also would affect women who miscarry. Because officials wouldn’t know if the loss of the fetus was intentional or not, these women would be treated like criminals, interrogated and medically tested to verify their story.

For those who want children and are unable to have them, many go through in-vitro fertilization, increasing the odds of becoming pregnant. One would think this would be OK in the eyes of those supporting Measure 1, but the truth is far from it. In the process of trying to impregnate the woman with a fertilized egg, technicians are sometimes forced to try several different embryo samples. This means some of those samples might be discarded. This is seen as an endangerment to another life. Even couples who want to start families will have an incredibly challenging time doing so because of this measure.

Measure 1 is taking reproductive rights away from women, and it takes away control over people’s choices come the end of their life. Voting “no” on this measure will ensure that women, families and those wishing to start families have healthy and supportive options to choose from in very serious situations. Everyone’s lives and situations are different. In any of the possible situations, the choices are not easy to make, but voting “no” on Measure 1 will ensure safety, support, education and medical care for those in different situations who really need it.

Steph Gartner is a staff writer for The Dakota Student. She can be reached at [email protected].