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Nevada
Personhood Nevada Files Appeal in State Supreme Court to keep personhood alive.
Personhood Nevada Files Appeal in State Supreme Court to keep personhood alive.
Las Vegas NV/ 2-11-2010/ Personhood Nevada appealed to the State Supreme Court today, calling for the overturning of Judge James Russell’s opinion against the Nevada Personhood Amendment.
On Friday, January 8, Judge Russell ruled that the fourteen word amendment did not encompass a single subject, although it is comprised of merely a handful of words and one of the most succinct ever to be filed in that State.
“It’s a civil rights initiative by and for the people. By the logic of First District Court Judge James Russell, the people of Nevada would never be allowed to bring forth a civil rights initiative,” observed Personhood Nevada President Olaf Vancura. “Such denial is unconstitutional. We’re appealing to the Supreme Court in hopes that they will recognize the voters’ rights in the State of Nevada. We appeal this decision not just because it was badly decided by Judge Russell, but to ensure that the voice of the people of Nevada is heard.”
A similar lawsuit was filed by Planned Parenthood against Colorado’s Personhood Amendment in 2008, but the lawsuit failed. Although the Colorado amendment was longer, it was found to be a single subject issue and allowed to proceed.
“We have seen these tactics before,” noted Keith Mason, co-founder of Personhood USA. “Judge Russell is the first to take the side of Planned Parenthood, but we are confident that the voters’ rights will prevail and Personhood will be on Nevada’s ballot in the near future.”
Judge Denies Nevada Citizens’ Right to Personhood Ballot Initiative
Judge Denies Nevada Citizens’ Right to Personhood Ballot Initiative
Carson City, Nevada, 01/11/2010 – A ballot initiative by human rights group Personhood Nevada has been thwarted by Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and local Judge James Russell. On Friday, January 8, Judge Russell ruled that the fourteen word amendment did not encompass a single subject, although it is comprised of merely a handful of words and one of the most succinct ever to be filed in that State.
The proposed amendment reads, “In the great state of Nevada, the term ‘person’ applies to every human being.” The Judge’s decision declares that the people of Nevada are not entitled to vote on this matter, and that the State’s very own policies and procedures to amend the Constitution through ballot initiatives should not be applied to this specific civil rights amendment.
Judge Russell was quoted by the Associated Press as saying, “The issue to me is, are we adequately informing voters on what they’re voting on. There’s no way for the voter to understand the effects of the initiative.”
Personhood USA legal analyst Gualberto Garcia-Jones was disturbed by the Judge’s comments. “Judge Russell is being disingenuous,” he remarked. “There is a very simple way for the voter to understand the effect of the initiative, namely, read the 200 word description that immediately follows the 14 word ballot text. That 200 word description includes: ‘This amendment codifies the inalienable right to life for everyone, young or old, healthy or ill, conscious or unconscious, born or unborn.’ Judge Russell is abusing his power and jumping the gun by prejudging the effect of the law.” “
In 2008, Planned Parenthood sued to prevent the Colorado ballot initiative from moving forward, claiming that it was not a single subject issue, and lost the lawsuit. The initiative, although longer than the Nevada initiative, was found to be a single subject and allowed to proceed.
“This is a civil rights initiative by and for the people of Nevada. Civil rights initiatives, by their nature, tend to have broad scope, yet are still a single subject issue,” explained Olaf Vancura, President of Personhood Nevada. “Under the logic and precedent of this court, ANY civil rights initiative brought forth by the people of this great state will be struck down as overly broad. We must appeal this erroneous decision, not only because the Judge ruled wrongly, but for the future of Nevada.”
For Information Or Interviews Contact:
Olaf Vancura
702-556-1134
Court Hearing to Decide Personhood Initiative Fate Held Today in Carson City
Hearing to Decide Personhood Initiative Fate Held Today in Carson City
Carson City, NV 1/08/2010 – The ACLU has joined forces with abortion giant Planned Parenthood to stop the initiative process of Nevada citizens. The simple, one sentence amendment reads: “In the great state of Nevada, the term ‘person’ applies to every human being.”
The hearing on this matter, in the First Judicial District Court of the State of Nevada, will take place at 9 a.m. Friday morning, January 8, 2010 in Carson City, the state’s capitol.
Personhood Nevada is a citizen-led initiative to amend the Constitution of the State of Nevada.
Olaf Vancura, PhD, President of Personhood Nevada, stated “The right to live is God-given and the most precious of all civil rights,” stated Olaf Vancura, PhD, President of Personhood Nevada.” Absent government leadership in protecting our most vulnerable persons, we the people are expressing our 1st Amendment rights with this historic civil rights initiative.”
On November 12, 2009, the ACLU and billion-dollar-per-year abortion profiteer Planned Parenthood filed a lawsuit challenging the amendment wording and summary. Similar legal challenges have been dismissed in other states attempting Personhood initiatives.
In commenting on the legal challenge, Vancura continued, “The abortion lobby’s plan is clear – delay, delay, delay. They are trying to run out the clock so that Nevadans cannot vote on this historic civil rights initiative. Their notion that this proposed Amendment violates the single-subject rule is absurd. This initiative is the epitome of a single subject. The last citizen-led initiative to successfully amend the Nevada constitution comprised over 400 words. Our proposed Amendment has only 14 words, the first 6 of which affirm that Nevada is a great state, the remaining 8 of which clarify ‘the term person applies to every human being.’ The Personhood Nevada language is simple enough that a child could explain it to an attorney.”
Today’s hearing will determine whether the citizen-led initiative can continue.
To for more information or to donate to Personhood Nevada, please visit www.PersonhoodNevada.com.
VIRGINIA MOTHER WHO ALLEGEDLY MURDERED HER NEWBORN BABY WITH IMPUNITY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR NEVADA PERSONHOOD AMENDMENT
December 29, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
VIRGINIA MOTHER WHO ALLEGEDLY MURDERED HER NEWBORN BABY
WITH IMPUNITY HIGHLIGHTS NEED FOR NEVADA PERSONHOOD AMENDMENT
Personhood Nevada is appalled and deeply grieved at the news reported from Virginia, in which a mother allegedly murdered her own newborn baby and will not be charged with a crime. Situations such as this, in which children are denied their very right to live, highlight the need for the Nevada Personhood Amendment. The proposed Amendment reads, simply,
In the great state of Nevada, the term ‘person’ applies to every human being.Olaf Vancura, PhD, President of Personhood Nevada, stated, “If this Amendment had been in place in Virginia, the woman would be in jail right now. No one has the right to kill another human being at any stage of biological development. The right to live is a God-given, fundamental civil right.”
Ken Wilson, Personhood Nevada board member stated, “As the father of 3 young children, I am utterly and completely shocked at this horrific and detestably evil crime. How a mother can kill her own child is something I will never be able to understand, no matter how much praise Planned Parenthood lavishes on mothers who do it every day. Our society has now come full circle, from condemning those who kill children, to actually lifting up such people as champions of women’s rights. We now live in a time when even our laws protect the killing and the killers of our own children. It is beyond tragic. It is the death of our culture.”
Personhood Nevada spokesperson Candy Best added, “The news of this travesty sickens me to the very core of my being! To think that a dehumanizing technicality, such as an intentionally uncut umbilical cord connecting mother and child, could legally render Virginia law enforcement impotent to arrest and prosecute a mother for murder is frightening and beyond belief. To twist and pervert what God had provided to serve as the cord of life into a legal justification to violently take a child’s life, is at least a serious miscarriage of justice and at most the cruelest kind of murder of innocence. This precious child who was killed by his or her own mother has as much right to live as any other human being – as much as any other person. This act was diabolically criminal. It is surreal to imagine a law that protects both the act of murder and the murderer. Why did Virginia legislators not act when police requested them to earlier? This is what happens when “choice” is taken to its logical extreme. It is our solemn duty to ensure and protect every person’s God-given right to live, even if they live in another state.”
Personhood Nevada stands for the right of all Nevadans to be protected by love and by law.
Contact: Olaf Vancura 702 / 556-1134 olaf@personhoodnevada.com
PERSONHOOD NEVADA COMMENTARY WITH RESPECT TO NEVADA'S RENO-AREA PROLIFE GROUPS
“All of us in the life-affirming movement share a noble and unifying goal. That goal is the protection of everyone’s right to live. While some may differ with our approach, we applaud the productive efforts of all who advance this cause,” said Olaf Vancura, PhD, President of Personhood Nevada.
Board member Ken Wilson added, “The fight to end the killing of prenatal children takes place on multiple fronts. We respect and support every prolife organization’s worthy efforts to save and protect human life.”
Commented Board member Anna Serra-Radford, “I ask every citizen of Nevada to take a good look at this Amendment. It speaks to all of us. We have seen thus far what discarding the rights of our prenatal children has ushered in — the dehumanization of the elderly, handicapped, ill and mentally disabled. Personhood seeks to restore and protect these rights for all.”
The following statement may be attributed to Personhood Nevada:
The right to live is the preeminent civil right. This Amendment protects every member of our human family throughout the continuum of life. Our right to live is not an arbitrary privilege granted solely to the elite only to be denied to the least desirable among us. It is not some legal gift given to the young only to be stripped away from our elderly and “unproductive”. It is a fundamental right… our bedrock Constitutional truth upon which all other rights and laws stand. Without our right to live, and live freely, our very lives are property whose ownership is not our own.
The right to live freely as equal members of society has always been fought and won at great cost. The United States Constitution, ratified in 1787, in Article 1, Section 2, Paragraph 3 outlined how our population was to be counted. The infamous “3/5 Compromise” counted free persons as 1 and slaves as 3/5. It was not until the ratification of the 13th Amendment in 1865 that slavery, the “right” to own another human being, was abolished.
But suppose a law had been crafted, say in 1800, requiring “a 24-hour waiting period before beating your slave” or “notification (if under 18) of your parents before killing your slave”? Incremental laws, such as these, would have done nothing to establish the equality of all African Americans. Indeed, they would have further entrenched and legitimized slavery. The core problem then, as now, is that some Americans were not considered Americans at all. Though they were human, they were unworthy of being counted as people.
Prenatal children today are considered property, not fellow Americans. Though they are human, they are not considered people. “Incremental laws” that attempt to decrease the killing of prenatal children in fact do nothing to address the root problem, namely that prenatal Americans are deliberately denied their civil rights as persons. Does Our Creator agree with laws that state, “If you wait 24 hours, you may have an abortion”? Obviously not. The sober truth is, in every abortion, someone dies.
Our prenatal children today have no civil rights; they are counted much less than 3/5… they are counted as zero. The people of Nevada, through this Amendment, will correct this injustice once and for all. The right to live is not a timing issue; rather time is of the essence.
For more information on the Nevada Personhood Initiative, please visit: www.PersonhoodNevada.com.
Contact: Olaf Vancura 702 / 556-1134 olaf@personhoodnevada.comNEVADA PERSONHOOD AMENDMENT IS ONLY 14 WORDS; LAST SUCCESSFUL CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT OVER 400 WORDS
December 7, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NEVADA PERSONHOOD AMENDMENT IS ONLY 14 WORDS;
LAST SUCCESSFUL CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT OVER 400 WORDS
Personhood Nevada comments on the historic civil rights initiative to amend the Constitution of the State of Nevada, the proposed Amendment reading simply as follows:
In the great state of Nevada, the term ‘person’ applies to every human being.Olaf Vancura, PhD, President of Personhood Nevada, stated “The right to live is a God-given, fundamental civil right. It is not a right to be bestowed upon Americans by our government. We must not and cannot allow the denial of personhood to anyone, no matter their age or physical condition. Absent government leadership in protecting our most vulnerable persons, we the people are acting to ensure equality for all.”
On the legal challenge, Vancura commented, “The abortion lobby’s attacks on this initiative are absurd. They attempt to confuse a very simple issue. The proposed Amendment is easy to understand – such that even a child could explain it to an attorney. Moreover, Nevadans have their 1st Amendment Constitutional right to vote upon this Amendment.”
Vancura noted, “The last citizen-led initiative to successfully amend the Nevada constitution contained over 400 words. Our proposed Amendment has only 14 words, the first 6 of which note that Nevada is a great state, while the remaining 8 affirm “the term person applies to every human being.”
Michael Peters, Attorney for Personhood Nevada, commented, “The arguments of the abortion lobby’s lawsuit are faulty and without merit. Their lawsuit’s intent is to prevent the people of Nevada from voting on this initiative.”
Vancura continued, “The abortion lobby’s plan is clear – delay, delay, delay. They are attempting to run out the clock, so that Nevadans are deprived of voting on this crucial civil rights initiative.”
Contact: Olaf Vancura 702 / 556-1141 olaf@personhoodnevada.com
Personhood Nevada
office: 556-1134 fax: 248-1294
www.personhoodnevada.com
Nevada Life Groups in League with Planned Parenthood; Try to Stop Pro-Life Efforts
Las Vegas, NV/November, 18, 2009— As reported in the Associated Press yesterday, November 17, Nevada Eagle Forum and Nevada Life joined Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union in opposing an initiative effort that seeks to prohibit abortion in Nevada by amending the Nevada constitution.
The announcement comes less than a week after Planned Parenthood and the ACLU teamed up to file a lawsuit to restrict the ballot initiative effort. Nevada Eagle Forum and Nevada Life stated that instead of outlawing abortion, they believe in “curbing instances of abortion” through outreach and education. Planned Parenthood, the ACLU and President Obama’s administration have voiced a similar desire to keep abortions safe, legal, and rare.“Personhood Nevada is embarking in a battle against the greatest evil of our day, the dehumanization of defenseless people,” said Keith Mason cofounder of Personhood USA
“Praise the Lord for the vision and courage of Personhood Nevada to really end the murdering of children! When asked what legal language they propose to protect all preborn children in Nevada, other groups have refused to come up with any, but Personhood Nevada does have legal language and a realistic plan.” said Cal Zastrow cofounder of Personhood USA A recent poll taken by World Net Daily, one of the most read conservative news sources, found that 71% of its readers believe state personhood amendments are “spot on” and “just what is needed.” “Abortion proponents have sued to stop personhood amendments in Colorado, Missouri, and Nevada because they realize that personhood amendments have the power to unravel the web of legal fictions that impose abortion upon America,” stated Gualberto Garcia Jones J.D., legal analyst for Personhood USA, “there is nothing vague in stating that ‘all human beings shall be considered persons’, just like there is nothing vague in stating that all persons have the inalienable right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”Personhood USA is a grassroots Christian organization founded to establish personhood efforts across America to create protection for every child by love and by law. Personhood USA is committed to assisting and supporting Personhood Legislation and Constitutional Amendments and building local pro-life organizations through raising awareness of the personhood of the pre-born.
Personhood Nevada Responds to Lawsuit Filed by Planned Parenthood and ACLU
Personhood Nevada recognizes the intense interest surrounding the historic civil rights initiative to amend the Constitution of the State of Nevada, the proposed Amendment reading as follows:
In the great state of Nevada, the term ‘person’ applies to every human being.
This Amendment, for the first time, would ensure all people’s right to live. Article I Section 8 of the Nevada constitution states, “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.”
This Amendment codifies the inalienable right to life for everyone, young or old, healthy or ill, conscious or unconscious, born or unborn. It assures protection and dignity to our children, our infirmed, and our seniors.
Said Olaf Vancura, PhD, President of Personhood Nevada, “With slavery, oppressors denied the humanity of African Americans. With abortion, oppressors deny the humanity of our preborn. Sadly, those who profit by killing helpless persons are now attempting to kill this citizen-led initiative by and for the people of Nevada. The people of Nevada have the right to petition and vote on this Amendment.”
Added Richard Ziser, Campaign Manager for Personhood Nevada, “The right to live is the fundamental civil right. It is God-given and not government-granted. It is not offered to the elite and denied to the least of these. This Amendment addresses the most important civil right, the right to live, without which all other civil rights are meaningless.”
Contact: Richard Ziser 702-221-1613 rziser@earthlink.net
Planned Parenthood and ACLU Obstruct People’s Rights with Lawsuit against Personhood Nevada
Carson City, NV – Planned Parenthood and the ACLU have filed a lawsuit against the sponsors of a Nevada ballot initiative defining the term “person”.
The simple, one-sentence amendment states, “In the great state of Nevada, the term ‘person’ applies to every human being.”
Blogger Emmily Bristol, the woman participating in the lawsuit, seems to admit on her blog that the measure is easy to understand. She claims, “It is designed to leave voters scratching their heads and saying, ‘Well, duh, a person is a person.’ “
“Exactly,” answered Keith Mason of Personhood USA. “It’s simple, easy to understand, and if even the folks behind the lawsuit can see that it’s that simple, the voters shouldn’t have any trouble. Every human being is a person. Period.”
“Children in the womb today have fewer rights than dogs or cats,” continued Mason. “Planned Parenthood, the ACLU, and Emmily Bristol are seeking to keep it that way.”
Nevada’s personhood amendment was filed on October 21, 2009. An amendment much like this one was introduced in Colorado and was found to be a single-subject issue. In 2007, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU teamed up to try to defeat the Colorado Personhood Amendment, but failed even up to the Colorado Supreme Court.
“This is clearly a single subject issue, easy to understand, and simply recognizes the rights of every human being,” stated Keith Mason, of Personhood USA. “Planned Parenthood’s lawsuit is not only stifling the people’s right to a ballot initiative, but it appears desperate. Once personhood is properly recognized, Planned Parenthood stands to lose over a billion dollars in annual profit.”
“This is now the third time that the ACLU and Planned Parenthood have ganged up to silence the voice of the people, and their right to ballot initiatives,” concluded Mason. “In Colorado, they failed. They are trying to silence us, and to keep the vote away from the people. The citizens have a right to ballot initiatives, and human beings have a right to live.”Personhood USA is a grassroots Christian organization founded to establish personhood efforts across America to create protection for every child by love and by law. Personhood USA is committed to assisting and supporting Personhood Legislation and Constitutional Amendments and building local pro-life organizations through raising awareness of the personhood of the pre-born.
Challenge to NV personhood initiative that would outlaw abortion expected
By Associated Press
November 12, 2009 | 3:48 p.m.
CARSON CITY, Nev. (AP) — A legal challenge is expected to be filed by the end of the day against a proposed Nevada ballot measure that seeks to define a person and override Nevada’s abortion laws.
The American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood plan to file the challenge late Thursday in Carson City District Court on behalf of a doctor, pharmacist and a pregnant woman.
Among other things, attorneys say the suit will argue that the description of the initiative’s purpose violates a single-subject rule and is misleading.
The Nevada “personhood” initiative was filed last month by Richard Ziser, a conservative activist in Las Vegas. It seeks to define a person and extend due process rights to “everyone possessing a human genome” from the beginning of biological development through end of life.
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