A petition drive aimed at providing constitutional protection for human life from the moment of conception failed to collect enough signatures to qualify for the 2006 ballot, campaign director Cal Zastrow said Monday.

Zastrow said volunteer petition circulators for the Human Life Amendment fell well short of the goal of 400,000 or more signatures. After waiting for last minute arrivals in Monday’s mail, Zastrow said fewer than 317,000 signatures - the bare minimum needed to qualify - had been collected.

“We needed a pickup load to come in today and only got basketfuls,” Zastrow said.

He said the campaign will re-group and consider an earlier, better organized effort to aim for the 2008 ballot.

The campaign had divided Michigan’s politically powerful anti-abortion movement, with the two largest pro-life organizations - Right to Life of Michigan and the Michigan Catholic Conference - calling the proposal politically risky and unnecessary.

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