Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan sent out a mass email to supporters yesterday stating that Michigan Citizens for Life have failed to obtain the 317,757 valid signatures necessary to place an amendment to the state constitution that would define personhood as beginning at the moment of conception. The initiative failed to gain the support of the statewide Right to Life organization due to “low expectations for the success” of the measure due in part to the far reaching nature of the proposal and indeed Michigan Citizens for Life opposed abortion in all cases including pregnancies caused through rape. The organization’s views on rape reflected a patriarchal view of women, with the organization’s website warning women and creating the impression that women are responsible for rape with the group warning women to “be cautious, drinking can lead to rape,” to “listen to danger signals and avoid rape when possible,” and cited scripture urging women to dress moderately and to practice "self-control.”

The initiative had gained the support of several far-right religious organizations including the Eagle Forum of Michigan, the American Family Association of Michigan, and various anti-choice groups. Religious right organizer Gary Glenn of the American Family Association—who is a self-described “activist, high-profile voice or traditional family values in Michigan and nationally on such issues as Internet pornography and the homosexual agenda”—was one of the campaign’s coordinators.