[Congressional Bills 105th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.J. Res. 40 Introduced in House (IH)]







105th CONGRESS
  1st Session
H. J. RES. 40

 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States with 
                     respect to the right to life.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            February 4, 1997

 Mr. Oberstar (for himself, Mr. Lipinski, Mr. Diaz-Balart, Mr. Hunter, 
  Mr. Hulshof, Mr. Smith of New Jersey, Mr. Stearns, and Mr. Watts of 
Oklahoma) introduced the following joint resolution; which was referred 
                   to the Committee on the Judiciary

_______________________________________________________________________

                            JOINT RESOLUTION


 
 Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States with 
                     respect to the right to life.

    Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United 
States of America in Congress assembled (two-thirds of each House 
concurring therein), That the following article is proposed as an 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States, to be valid only if 
ratified by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several States 
within seven years after the date of final passage of this joint 
resolution:

                              ``Article--

    ``Section 1. With respect to the right to life, the word `person' 
as used in this article and in the fifth and fourteenth articles of 
amendment to the Constitution of the United States applies to all human 
beings irrespective of age, health, function, or condition of 
dependency, including their unborn offspring at every stage of their 
biological development.
    ``Section 2. No unborn person shall be deprived of life by any 
person: Provided, however, That nothing in this article shall prohibit 
a law permitting only those medical procedures required to prevent the 
death of the mother.
    ``Section 3. The Congress and the several States shall have power 
to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.''.
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