Abortion opponents lose appeal over battle for constitutional ban

CARSON CITY — The Nevada Supreme Court has dismissed an appeal by a group that tried to pass a constitutional ban on abortions this year.

The court ruled in a decision filed Thursday that Personhood Nevada’s fight to rewrite the state constitution was moot because the group failed to secure the necessary signatures to put its question on the 2010 ballot.

Personhood Nevada wants voters to replace the word "person" in the Nevada Constitution with the term "human being." The group contends that life starts at conception.

But opponents said the ballot language was vague and contained more than one subject in violation of Nevada’s election laws. A District Court agreed and shot down the proposed petition.

The group hopes to put the ban to a vote in 2012.