Group Launches Personhood Signature Drive In Oklahoma

An anti-abortion group that wants to ban abortions in Oklahoma is launching a signature drive with the goal of amending the state Constitution to define a fertilized human egg as a human being.

Officials with Personhood Oklahoma filed their proposed ballot title with the secretary of state's office on Thursday. The group now has 90 days to gather signatures from about 155,000 registered voters. If successful, supporters hope to have a question on the state ballot in November that defines a human being "from the beginning of the biological development."

Organizer Dan Skerbitz says if approved, the amendment would ban abortions and outlaw certain forms of birth control.

The Oklahoma State Medical Association opposes so-called personhood measures, saying they will threaten the practice of reproductive medicine.