Proposal 5 (Article 22)

BALLOT LANGUAGE

To see if the voters will amend the Vermont Constitution by adding Article 22 to read: "Article 22. [Personal reproductive liberty] That an individual's right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one's own life course and shall not be denied or infringed unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means."

WHAT IT MEANS

The proposed amendment includes: Guaranteed unregulated late-term abortions throughout all nine months of pregnancy up to the day of birth. The removal of “conscience protection” for healthcare workers. Elimination of parental rights concerning children’s sexual and gender related choices.

ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST

YES

  • "Prop 5 will add Article 22 to our state constitution, expcicitly enshrining our reproductive rights and preventing future state legislatures from restricting our reproductive autonomy." ACLU Vermont 

  • "Important medical decisions should be guided by a patient's health and wellbeing, not by a politician's beliefs. But for far too long, politicians across the country have been fighting to restrict reproductive health care, and now they are gaining ground."   Vermont for Reproductive Liberty IE PAC

NO

ENDORSEMENTS

YES

Human Rights Campaign PAC (Liberal)

American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) Vermont (Liberal)

Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (Liberal)

League of Women Voters of Vermont (Liberal)

Vermont Business Magazine Population Media Center (PMC) (Liberal)

NO

Vermont Right to Life (VRLC) (Conservative)

Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington (Conservative)

Vermonters for Good Government (Conservative)

Vermont Family Alliance (Conservative)

FINANCIAL BACKING

The following information provides insight into the money being spent to pass or defeat the ballot measure.

YES

Committees formed to SUPPORT Proposal 5:

VERMONT FOR REPRODUCTIVE LIBERTY

Selected Contributions TO Vermont for Reproductive Liberty include:

  • Planned Parenthood Vermont Action Fund, Colchester, VT
  • ACLU, Washington, DC
  • Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Washington, DC
  • Sixteen Thirty Fund, Washington, DC
  • Constance Beaty, Dorset, VT
  • Donna and Jake Carpenter, Stowe, VT
  • People for Progressive Governance, Phoenix, AZ
  • Abigail D. Faulkner, Montpelier, VT
  • ACLU, Montpelier, VT
  • Rene Reiner and Michael DeSanto, Milton, VT
  • Anne Faulkner and Bob King, Keene, NH
  • Kathleen Fisher, Manchester, VT

NO

Committees formed to OPPOSE Proposition 5:

VERMONT RIGHT TO LIFE POLITICAL COMMITTEE

Selected Contributions TO Vermont Right to Life Political Committee include:

  • Michele Morin, Burlington, VT
  • Sharon Toborg, Barre, VT
  • Joanna Ellis-Monaghan, Grand Isle, VT

VERMONT RIGHT TO LIFE COMMITTEE, INC.

Selected Contributions TO Vermont Right to Life Committee, Inc. include:

  • Ladies of St Vincent, Newport Center, VT
  • Michael and Pam Lewis - Pastor, North Hampton, NH
  • Robert and Madonna Searing, Bomoseen, VT
  • Steve and Monique Milton, Curran, VT
  • Douglas A. and Katie Brukardt, Northfield, VT
  • Stephen W. Webster, Randolph, VT
  • Massachusetts Citizens for Life, Boston, MA
  • Michael and Michelle Desranleau, Milton, VT
  • Jill Lord, Cornish, NH
  • Elizabeth Bumps, Derby, VT
  • Claude and Donna Chevalier, Highgate Center, VT
  • Louis and Diane St Cyr, Underhill, VT

VERMONTERS FOR GOOD GOVERNMENT

Selected Contributions TO Vermonters for Good Government include:

  • Lenore Broughton, Burlington, VT
  • Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, South Burlington, VT
  • Carol Breuer, Stowe, VT
  • Paul & Patti Verderese, Auburn, MA
  • Knights of Columbus Council, Middlebury, VT
  • Timothy Naples, South Burlington, VT
  • Aline Sweet, Cambridge, VT
  • Joan Sanborn, Morgan, VT
  • Paul Jansen, Saint Albans, VT
  • Rick Kenyon, Brattleboro, VT
  • David Chenette, Milton, VT
  • Walter Weld, Dover, MA

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