HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION NO.13
(By Delegates Armstead, Sobonya,
Howard and Louisos)
[Introduced March 10, 2005; referred to the committee on
Constitutional Revision then the Judiciary.]
Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the State of West
Virginia, amending article six thereof by adding thereto a
new section, designated section fifty-seven, relating to
providing that the Constitution of West Virginia does not
grant, offer, confer, bestow, or imply a right of a woman to
an abortion.
Resolved by the Legislature of West Virginia, two thirds of
the members elected to each house agreeing thereto:
That the question of ratification or rejection of an amendment
to the Constitution of the State of West Virginia be submitted to
the voters of the State at the next general election to be held in
the year 2006, which proposed amendment is that article six thereof
be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated section
fifty-seven, to read as follows:
ARTICLE VI. THE LEGISLATURE.
§57. Women do not have a right to an abortion under any provision
of this Constitution.
No provision of this Constitution may be construed or
interpreted to grant, offer, confer, bestow or imply that a woman
has a right to an abortion.
Resolved Further, That in accordance with the provisions of
article eleven, chapter three of the Code of West Virginia, one
thousand nine hundred thirty-one, as amended, such proposed
amendment is hereby numbered "Amendment No. 1" and designated as
the "Amendment stating that the West Virginia Constitution does not
grant a right to an abortion" and the purpose of the proposed
amendment is summarized as follows: "To clarify that the West
Virginia Constitution does not provide a right for an abortion."
NOTE: The purpose of this resolution is to amend the State
Constitution to clarify that the Constitution does not provide a
right for an abortion.
This section is new; therefore, strike-throughs and
underscoring have been omitted.