You all know the Dr. Seuss story, right? The tale of an elephant named Horton who struggles to protect a microscopic community from a larger world oblivious to its existence.
This sounding familiar to anyone?
Well the upcoming movie is getting an unintended plot twist in Colorado’s debate over a proposed constitutional amendment on personhood.
The children’s classic “Horton Hears a Who” will hit the big screen March 14.
It strikes abortion foe Colorado for Equal Rights as an opportunity to celebrate the story’s central theme that “a person’s a person, no matter how small.”
Kristi Burton is the clever 20 year old woman who is petitioning for a ballot measure asking voters to say personhood begins at conception. “It’s so true that whatever stage of life you’re in, you’re a person, whatever your size,” says Kristi, the group’s 20-year-old founder.
The amendment seeks to guarantee constitutional protections from the moment of conception. It would lay a legal foundation for banning abortion in the state.
Burton said the group doesn’t have a specific “Horton” event set at this time, but something is in the works.
Keith Mason, the group’s statewide grassroots director, said supporters are unhappy with the amendment debate being couched in terms of personhood and constitutional rights for “fertilized eggs.”
Listen to what he just called them – “fertilized eggs.” Why shouldn’t he just call us “lucky and fast sperm.”
Sadly, the fertilized egg who went by the name Dr. Seuss wasn’t happy with the Horton analogy. Neither is the egg’s widow.
March 3, 2008 at 1:00 pm
Indeed. Geisel and his widow have both sued to prevent various pro-life groups from using the story in their outreach and rhetoric, and it seems likely that the estate will continue with this policy indefinitely.
March 3, 2008 at 9:31 pm
Just interviewed the co-sponsor of this, Christine Burton. She’s 20. Proof that the youth are revolting.
March 4, 2008 at 1:37 am
an amazing young woman. When I think how stupid and self abosrbed I was at 20 it’s a little embarrasing. Come to think of it…ditto for 30.
March 7, 2008 at 3:37 pm
The Geisel estate can sue all they want, they can’t keep people from drawing the obvious conclusion from the story. Dr. Seuss wrote a story whose message was to respect all life and making a hero of one who protected the helpless innocents. Apparently, he did this in spite of himself.
April 9, 2008 at 5:55 pm
Dr. Seuss is classic, after seeing Horton Hears a Who i remembered how much that guy packs into relatively simple storylines… they didn’t add much to the original story either except for the usual Jim Carreyisms.