DENVER - Coloradans will vote this year on a possible abortion ban unless tens of thousands of signatures on petitions for the Personhood Amendment are disqualified.

Backers of the measure defining life as beginning at fertilization submitted 131,000 signatures Tuesday, 55,000 more than the roughly 76,000 that are needed to get it on the November ballot.

The Secretary of State's Office still must determine if Colorado for Equal Rights collected a sufficient number of valid signatures of registered voters, but supporters celebrated outside the Knights of Columbus hall about a block from the state Capitol.

"With this amendment, Colorado will acknowledge what every pregnant woman in her heart knows to be true: That this tiny unique being in her is a person," campaign volunteer Lori Goebel said at the rally to whistles and shouts of "Amen!"

The proposed amendment, penned by Kristi Burton, a 20-year-old Peyton woman studying for a law degree, is certain to make Colorado this year's battleground over abortion if it is on the ballot.

Burton's amendment would not explicitly ban abortion, which the U.S. Supreme Court ruled was a constitutional right in its 1973 Roe v. Wade decision.

Abortion-rights activists have said that if the Personhood Amendment passes, it could lead to laws making abortion and some forms of birth control a crime.

Three weeks ago, Burton's group said it was still about 6,000 signatures shy of the 76,047 signatures needed.

But roughly 1,100 volunteers stepped up their work in recent days, and churches across the state became more active in petitioning, campaign director Keith Mason said.

Toni Panetta, spokeswoman for the Protect Families Protect Choices coalition, said Tuesday that her group is looking at all means of defeating the amendment, "whether it's legal challenges or whether it's going into full campaign mode."

The rally at the downtown Denver Knights of Columbus hall took on a revival-like atmosphere with Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Kent Lambert's reading of a Bible passage to shouts of "Tell it!" and "That's right!"

Burton noted that the campaign was able to gather 131,245 signatures on a budget of just $120,000. For the coming fight, it wants to raise $2 million to $3 million, she said.

"We must continue on and fulfill the calling that has been placed by God upon each one of us," she told the crowd of roughly 100 people.

The crowd then wheeled cardboard boxes full of petitions down the street to the Secretary of State's Office.

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CONTACT THE WRITER: (303) 837-0613 or ed.sealover@gazette.com