Personhood Report: U.S. and International News!

The Huck to Headline Amendment 26 Event

Personhood USA President Keith Mason invites you to join him next Thursday, September 8th in Jackson, Mississippi for the Yes on 26 Campaign Kick-off Banquet. Please come and give a warm welcome to keynote speaker and former presidential candidate Gov. Mike Huckabee. Special guests include bestselling author and activist, Deanna Favre, and musical guest, multi-platinum selling artist, Mark Schultz.

Who: Gov. Mike Huckabee, Deanna Favre, and Mark Schultz

What: Vote for Life, Yes on 26 Campaign Kick-off Banquet

Where: First Baptist Church, East Fellowship Hall, 431 N. State St., Jackson, MS

When: Thursday, September 8th, 2011, 5:30-7:30 PM

To register, go to https://yeson26.thedonortree.com/event

Portugal on the Move for Personhood

In response to the liberalization of the nation’s abortion laws and a proposal by the leftist party to decriminalize euthanasia, a group of concerned Portuguese citizens has begun a petition to protect every person “from conception to natural death.” A 1984 law decriminalized abortion for the cases of rape, life of the mother, or deformity up to 12 weeks. In 2007, Parliament went further by allowing abortion on demand through the first 10 weeks of pregnancy.

"The current Prime Minister said if there was a group of citizens who wanted to raise the question of the value of life, support for it in parliament would be available. We hope they honor the commitment,” said Portuguese physician, Daniel Serrão. “This group of citizens is responding to an invitation.” The group must collect 75,000 signatures to put the issue to a national vote.

In a statement on the diocese website, the Bishop of Lamego, D. Jacinto Botelho, offered his “wholehearted support.” Bishop of Porto D. Manuel Clement added, "It is essential and a priority."

Polish Abortion Ban Falls by a Handful

LifeSiteNews.com is reporting that a total abortion ban—which was the result of a citizen-led petition campaign in Poland—fell by the narrowest of margins yesterday. Polish parliamentarians voted down the measure 191-186. The bill would have removed the remaining exceptions in Polish abortion law and provided protections for every human being from conception.

600,000 petition signatures were submitted in June to bring the bill before lawmakers. Sponsors were required to collect 100,000 signatures in three months, but instead collected the total in just two weeks. In July, it survived a vote on a motion to dismiss by an overwhelming majority, 254-151.

Pro-life commentator Tomasz Terlikowski told LifeSiteNews.com that Polish pro-lifers “will not rest” and that they “will re-submit the bill.”

Also this year, a petition to amend Colombia’s national constitution garnered an incredible 5 million signatures. The amendment will read: “Life in Colombia is inviolable, and will have the same protection from fertilization until natural death.”

In America, Personhood USA has gathered nearly one million signatures championing personhood. Mississippians submitted 130,000 signatures to amend the state constitution to affirm the personhood rights of preborn babies. Residents are set to vote on Amendment 26 on November 8th.