A type of “personhood” amendment North Dakotans will vote on Nov. 4 could have broad ramifications for healthcare in that state.
Voters will decide whether to adopt a seemingly simple amendment to the state's constitution. “The inalienable right to life of every human being at any stage of development must be recognized and protected,” reads the ballot measure.
Measure 1 was originally viewed as an anti-abortion measure. But opponents say it could insert the government into crucial decisions about medical care because its unusually broad language could apply to end-of-life care and other types of treatments.