We hereby strongly affirm that beliefs about when life begins are religious beliefs and are, therefore, protected by the first amendment. As such, beliefs about the beginning of life should not be used to formulate public policy and no legislature shall pass laws that give priority of one belief over another.
Why is this important?
As a citizen, I affirm freedom of religion. As a Christian, I believe a literal interpretation of the book of Genesis would place the beginning of life at the first breath -- at birth. A medical interpretation of the beginning of life might focus on the possibility of higher-order thought, given that a brain-dead person can be declared legally dead. Beliefs about the beginning of life--whether one chooses the moment an egg is fertilized, the detection of a fetal heartbeat, "quickening", fetal brain development, viability outside the womb, birth--are religious beliefs, and should not be imposed upon the public indiscriminately.
