Challenge to NV personhood initiative that would outlaw abortion expected

By Associated Press

November 12, 2009 | 3:48 p.m.

CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A legal challenge is expected to be filed by the end of the day against a proposed Nevada ballot measure that seeks to define a person and override Nevada’s abortion laws.

The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood plan to file the challenge late Thursday in Carson City District Court on behalf of a doctor, pharmacist and a pregnant woman.

Among other things, attorneys say the suit will argue that the description of the initiative’s purpose violates a single-subject rule and is misleading.

The Nevada “personhood” initiative was filed last month by Richard Ziser, a conservative activist in Las Vegas. It seeks to define a person and extend due process rights to “everyone possessing a human genome” from the beginning of biological development through end of life.