The North Dakota House of Representatives has passed the first personhood amendment in the United States, 57-35. Read more
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Three Dozen Mexican State and Federal Legislators Take Out Full-Page Ad Defending Personhood Amendments
Mexico City, Mexico – 09/22/11 – Personhood USA has learned more details from their Mexican counterparts, who have passed personhood amendments in Mexico. The Mexican Supreme Court is considering overturning two state constitutional amendments that guarantee the right to life of Mexican children in the womb by reviewing cases 11/2009 and 62/2009. Personhood USA has announced that it is joining more than three dozen legislators, over 50 nonprofit organizations, and millions of Mexican citizens in support of the personhood amendments.
“A favorable ruling for abortion advocates in this case could have the effect of decriminalizing abortion through all nine months of pregnancy, thus becoming Mexico’s Roe v. Wade,” explained Gualberto Garcia Jones, J.D., legal analyst for Personhood USA.
Since 1973, approximately 50 million children have lost their lives in the United States through abortion. The Guttmacher Institute, Planned Parenthood’s research arm, estimates that 42 million children lose their lives every single year from abortion.
The 18 Mexican State Constitutional amendments were passed in reaction to the legalization of abortion in Mexico City in 2009. In order to revoke the personhood rights of preborn children in Mexico, opposition would have to get 8 out of 11 Supreme Court votes.
A full-page open letter ad in Mexico’s largest newspaper, “El Universal” was taken out by three dozen state and federal legislators on Thursday Sept. 22 urging the Mexican Supreme Court to respect the democratic process. Just a week prior to this publication, 50 nonprofit organizations published a similar ad defending the personhood amendments.
The Mexican state personhood amendments were passed with the overwhelming support of 88% of the members of state legislatures. Support for the Mexican personhood amendments included members of all major political parties such as the PAN, PRI, and PRD, highlighting the fact that Mexico’s population strongly opposes abortion.
The full-page open letter lists the 18 states where the state legislatures voted to grant full constitutional protection to unborn children. In the open letter, the legislators publicly ask the Supreme Court to respect the right of self-determination of the states. The Legislators state in the open letter that the same constitutional logic which recognized Mexico City’s law which legalized abortion in 2009 as a valid exercise of the democratic process, now must be applied to uphold the Constitutional Amendments in the 18 states who chose to protect all human life from conception to natural death.
A decision is expected next Wednesday.
Mexican Roe v. Wade: Mexico Supreme Court Considers Case to Revoke Personhood of Preborn Children
Mexico City, Mexico – Early next week, the Mexico Supreme Court is slated to hear and decide the constitutionality of two Personhood amendments. They are expected to deliver a verdict by Wednesday.
Opposition to the Personhood amendments has been minimal to this point, where it is understood that Judge Jose Fernando Franco Gonzales has presented an Action for Unconstitutionality, 11-2009, to declare that two of Mexico’s personhood amendments, one in Baja California and one in San Luis Potosi, are unconstitutional.
“These personhood amendments were passed by the will of the people in Mexico,” stated Gualberto Garcia Jones, J.D., legal analyst for Personhood USA. “The Justice, Fernando Franco Gonzalez Salas, argues that the Personhood amendments in the states of Baja California and San Luis Potosi should be struck down because in his opinion, states should not be allowed to protect life from the moment of conception in their local constitutions. This rhetoric sounds a lot like Roe v. Wade's ruling that the states, and the people, have no right to govern themselves. This is nothing but judicial tyranny of the highest order. Such actions on the part of the judges would be a terrible violation of the rights of the people of Mexico, and the rights of unborn children."
On September 19, 50 nonprofit organizations took out a full-page ad in the largest newspaper in Mexico, El Universal, expressing their concern and opposition to any actions which would overturn the two personhood amendments.
“Abortion is dangerous, not only for the child killed, but for the mother,” explained Garcia Jones. “Women deserve better than abortion. The Mexico personhood amendments make Mexico a safer place for women, and of course for their unborn children.”
Mississippi AG Jim Hood Endorses Personhood, Promises to Defend if Challenged
Jackson, MS - Mississippi’s top attorney has endorsed the Mississippi Personhood Amendment and announced his intention to defend the measure in court.
Attorney General Jim Hood (D, New Houlka) stated on his website:
“My position on pro-life issues have always been clear. From a personal standpoint, I have always honored the sanctity of life at every stage. As Attorney General, I have defended every pro-life bill that has been adopted by the Mississippi Legislature. I have assisted our lawmakers with pro-life legislation and will continue to do so.”
“I support the Mississippi Personhood Amendment, and if adopted, will defend it if challenged,” continued Hood.
Amendment 26 will define the terms “person” and “persons” as used in the Mississippi Constitution to “include every human being from the moment of fertilization…”
“This is the most pro-life amendment Mississippi has ever seen,” explained Keith Mason, President of Personhood USA. “Science and reason tell us that all human beings are people, and all people have the right to live. We know that Mississippi voters agree that unborn children have human rights, so we expect victory in November.”
Mississippians are set to vote on the measure on November 8th after the State Supreme Court rejected a second attempt by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU to prevent voters from seeing the amendment this November.
“Nothing in our Constitution as it exists today gives this Court the authority to review the validity of a proposal prior to its enactment, which is exactly what Plaintiffs request this Court to do,” said Justice Randy G. Pierce in the majority opinion. “This Court is without power to interfere with pre-election proposals, because to do so may place the administration of government at the footstool of the judiciary.”
Hood’s endorsement is another in a long list of prominent political supporters including GOP gubernatorial candidate, Lt. Governor Phil Bryant, U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, U.S. Representatives Alan Nunnelee, Greg Harper, and Steven Palazzo.
“Amendment 26 enjoys wide bi-partisan support among the leadership and people of Mississippi,” continued Mason. “This latest endorsement demonstrates that Mississippi’s official policy will be to uphold the law and make the state a safe haven for unborn children.”
Personhood USA Releases New Video Documenting Infamous Roe vs. Wade Court Case
Arvada, Colo. — Personhood USA has released a new video documenting the infamous Roe vs. Wade court case that legalized abortion in the United States. Relevant to today’s battle for human life, the video illustrates the need to recognize unborn children as people.
The video includes actual audio from the court case in which Justice Potter Stewart states, “And the basic Constitutional question, initially, is whether or not an unborn fetus is a person, isn’t it? That’s critical to this case.”
“In 1973, the courts may have had some question as to whether or not an unborn child is a person, but that is certainly not the case today,” explained Gualberto Garcia Jones, J.D. of Personhood USA. “Ultrasound technology, along with the many advances in science and medicine, have shown us with certainty that the unborn child is a human being. And, of course, all human beings are people.”
The video highlights a question from Chief Justice Warren E. Burger. “Could Texas, constitutionally, in your view, declare that, by statute, that a fetus is a person for all constitutional purposes?” asked Burger. Pro-abortion attorney Sarah Weddington agreed, “The state could obviously adopt that kind of statute.”
Efforts to enact personhood measures are currently underway in every state including citizen-led initiatives in Florida, Ohio, Montana, Nevada, and Colorado. Mississippians are set to vote on Amendment 26 which would define the terms “person” or “persons,” as used in the state constitution, to “include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”
The audio from Roe vs. Wade includes what is often coined as the “personhood loophole” of the case in which Supreme Court Justice Potter Stewart inquires, “If it were established that the unborn fetus is a person, within the protection of the 14th amendment, you would have almost an impossible case here, would you not?”
“We recognize that the unborn baby is, in fact, a human being, and therefore a person, as has been established numerous times in embryology textbooks and by world-renowned geneticists and scientists,” continued Garcia Jones. “This video brings the personhood of the child in the womb to our attention yet again, confirming our need to recognize the rights of these smallest human beings.”
Personhood USA is a grassroots, Christian organization founded to establish personhood efforts across America to create protections 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 preborn.
Personhood USA’s amendments recognize that every human being is a person, and every person has a right to life. Personhood amendments and bills protect every child, no matter their size or age.
Yes On 26 Celebrates Victory at Mississippi Supreme Court
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/3013517718.html
TUPELO, Miss., Sept. 8, 2011 /Christian Newswire/ — The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled today that Measure No. 26, the Personhood Amendment, did not violate the state constitutional rules governing citizen initiatives, and so the citizens of Mississippi will have the chance to vote on it in November. The Court thus rejected a challenge by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and the Center for Reproductive Rights to keep the Personhood Amendment off the ballot, claiming that it was an improper attempt to modify the Bill of Rights.
For over two years, scores of men and women, sons and daughters across our fair state patiently and prayerfully labored to successfully bring forth the Mississippi Personhood Amendment, Measure No. 26, to its rightful place on the November 8, 2011, general election ballot. With over 106,000 certified signatures, the first hurdle to secure a constitutionally defensible means of protecting the unborn from the earliest stages of life was achieved.
Recognizing the grave threat a favorable Mississippi vote in November posed to the interstate abortion trade, the ACLU and Planned Parenthood imposed a second hurdle, by filing suit to strip this initiative off the ballot, and as a result, deny Mississippians their right to declare on November 8 that in Mississippi, under God, the unborn are persons, possessed of those “unalienable rights” to life as our Founders opined in the Declaration of Independence.
Thankfully, the Hinds County Circuit Court and now our Supreme Court rejected the arguments of these bastions of liberal, anti-Christian activism and affirmed the right of Mississippians to cast a vote for life — to say “yes” on 26 on Election Day. We applaud the Court’s common sense and correct ruling.
“With the first two hurdles overcome, only the third hurdle of Election Day remains for us to claim victory in our state’s personhood movement. We need Mississippi’s prolife public officials, pastors, and patriots to stand up and be counted in the days ahead as we seek to become the first state in the nation to grant civil rights to the unborn,” said Brad Prewitt, Executive Director of Yes on 26.
“There have been nationwide attempts to silence the personhood message, so we are very pleased that a high court has ruled against the ACLU and Planned Parenthood yet again. The nation is watching Amendment 26, and it is time now to move forward and pass this crucial prolife amendment to defend human life,” said Keith Mason, President of Personhood USA.
“Today we rejoice and celebrate this hard-won victory, but tomorrow we roll up our sleeves and return to work. Our opponents are discouraged, but not yet ultimately defeated. They will be back, spreading fear, confusion, and dire ‘sky-is-falling’ warnings about this simple Amendment, and we must be ready to rebut their baseless charges and set the record straight,” said Stephen Crampton, Liberty Counsel’s lead attorney for Personhood Mississippi in the case.
When passed, the Mississippi Personhood Amendment will recognize what science and medicine have long established — namely that every human being is fully human and fully alive from the moment of fertilization — and will grant the unborn the full and equal protection of the law as the rest of us possess. In the days ahead, we pray that our work to protect the unborn might be successful and that our State of Mississippi might take that first step nationwide to stop abortion and to choose life over death.
Personhood Mississippi WINS Supreme Court Battle, Ready for Voters In November
The Mississippi Personhood Amendment, Initiative Measure Number 26, was notified that the motion to remove the Amendment from the Ballot, filed by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, has been denied.
ACLU and Planned Parenthood attorneys originally filed a lawsuit against the Mississippi Secretary of State in July, seeking to disallow Mississippi voters from voting on the Mississippi Personhood Amendment. After their court loss, ACLU and Planned Parenthood appealed the decision to the State Supreme Court, where the rights of Mississippi voters were once again upheld, with a powerful statement from the Court decision: “Just as this Court cannot prohibit legislators from offering proposals in the House or Senate, this Court cannot impede voters from submitting proposals through the voter initiative process.”
Amendment sponsors and volunteers exceeded state signature requirements on February 17, becoming only the fourth successful ballot initiative since 1992. The one-sentence amendment, Initiative Measure Number 26, reads, “The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”
The ACLU then filed a motion for judgment on the pleadings, arguing that the Personhood amendment, which seeks to define the term “person," modifies the Bill of Rights, which is expressly prohibited by Section 273(5).
Steve Crampton, Liberty Counsel attorney for Personhood Mississippi, explained that Section 273(5) does not prohibit the definition of an otherwise undefined term, such as “person." Crampton went on to explain that the Personhood Amendment complies with section 273(5)(a) because it does not propose any new right and does not modify or repeal any existing right guaranteed under our Bill of Rights. Instead, the Personhood amendment merely defines the term “person” and does not modify the Bill of Rights in any way.
“We believed that the Court would uphold the rights of Mississippi voters, and we are thankful that they have done so,” stated Keith Mason, President of Personhood USA. “Mississippians volunteered thousands of hours of their time to ensure that voters would have the right to vote on this prolife amendment, and their voices should be heard. Amendment 26 sends a prolife message to the rest of the United States – babies in the womb are people, and have the right to live.”
The decision came just in time, as an exclusive event featuring keynote speaker Governor Mike Huckabee, special guest author and activist Deanna Favre, and musical guest Mark Schultz will be held tonight to kick off the official start of the Amendment 26 campaign.
Romney Forsakes Fundamental Piece of the Republican Party Platform
Romney Forsakes Fundamental Piece of the Republican Party Platform
COLUMBIA, SC — September 7, 2011 – When faced with a question of protecting human life, on the issue of the personhood of the child in the womb, Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney was the only candidate to back down. This question, as part of a presidential discussion held on Monday in South Carolina, saw the first contrast between Republicans vying for the nation’s highest office on the issue of abortion and the federal government’s role in protecting innocent human life.
A question from Princeton professor Robert George noted that Congress retains the authority to recognize the personhood rights of the preborn. George queried former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney on this assertion.
“Many people today say that we need to wait for Roe vs. Wade to be reversed before Congress can do anything about protecting life in the womb. However, Section 5 of the 14th Amendment expressly authorizes the Congress, by appropriate legislation, to enforce the guarantees of due process and equal protection contained in the amendment’s first section,” said George. “Would you, as President, propose to Congress appropriate legislation pursuant to the 14th Amendment to protect human life in all stages and conditions?”
Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich, and Herman Cain responded in the affirmative. Romney, on the other hand, suggested that a federal personhood measure “would create…a constitutional crisis.” He added, “That’s not something I would precipitate.”
Instead, Romney lobbied for a continuation of the strategy of altering the makeup of the Supreme Court. “I would like to see that Supreme Court return to the states the responsibility for determining laws related to abortion,” he said.
The week’s second presidential candidate forum is scheduled for Wednesday at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley, California where candidates will have a chance to further clarify their positions. Will Romney adapt to this question to reflect President Reagan’s position, and that of the Republican Party?
Reagan issued his Personhood Proclamation on January 14th, 1988 in which he said:
“The unalienable right to life is found not only in the Declaration of Independence but also in the Constitution that every President is sworn to preserve, protect, and defend. Both the 5th and 14th Amendments guarantee that no person shall be deprived of life without due process of law.”
Reagan continued, “This sacred legacy, and the well-being and the future of our country, demand that protection of the innocents must be guaranteed and that the personhood of the unborn be declared and defended throughout our land.”
The Republican Party Platform—which Reagan’s pro-personhood ideology has helped to shape—also reads, “We support a human life amendment to the Constitution, and we endorse legislation to make clear that the 14th Amendment protections apply to unborn children.”
“Far from a ‘crisis,’ personhood restores the protections for the preborn that were intended by our founding fathers and the drafters of the 14th Amendment,” said Keith Mason, President of Personhood USA. “Roe v. Wade has no basis in constitutional law. It was a tribunal of nine men in 1973 that unleashed the current ‘constitutional crisis’ upon our nation.”
Personhood USA is a grassroots, Christian organization founded to establish personhood efforts across America to create protections 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 preborn.
Planned Parenthood ‘Chaplain’ Caught on Tape Deceiving Mississippi Voters
08/12/2011 – Jackson, MS – Mississippi voters were in an uproar on Wednesday when Planned Parenthood Seattle Chaplain Vincent Lachina was exposed during a Mississippi Secretary of State’s Personhood Amendment Hearing.
Speaking to a crowd of Mississippi voters, Lachina claimed to be a Southern Baptist minister, both “pro-life and pro-choice”. Addressing the crowd in a clerical collar, Mississippians listened intently as Lachina shared that he grew up in Jackson and had a Mississippi heritage. Lachina boldly preached an ideology of choice from the pulpit, calling for a “no” vote on pro-life Amendment 26, but left out some critical details.
Lachina failed to mention that he is the Washington State Chaplain at Planned Parenthood Federation of America.
Jacob Dawson, of the American Family Association, was sitting in the audience and decided to do a Google search of Lachina, having never heard of a Southern Baptist preacher from Mississippi by that name – much less a pro-choice, clerical collar-wearing Southern Baptist Preacher.
Dawson got up before the crowd and stated, “A quick Google search reveals that Mr. Lachina is from Seattle, and is a chaplain for Planned Parenthood.”
The crowd was stunned, and many were outraged at the misrepresentation and deception of Planned Parenthood.
Further research on Mr. Lachina revealed the following statement: “We gay men don’t need to worry about what the Republicans, the religious right, or homophobes will do to us.” Vincent Lachina, “The Good Boy,” The Advocate, January 30, 2007
The “Religious Right” mentioned by Lachina certainly must include Southern Baptists, who have historically opposed abortion and homosexuality, and have made public statements expounding on that opposition.
“Nationwide, we have seen Planned Parenthood’s repeated attempts to deceive the public. These are just the kind of underhanded tactics we have come to expect from Planned Parenthood,” explained Keith Mason, President of Personhood USA. “It appears that Planned Parenthood flew a man from Washington to Mississippi, put him in a clerical collar, and asked him to appeal to the voters with deep Southern Baptist roots. It’s just wrong. His attempts to dissuade voters from voting for Amendment 26 will not be successful. Yes on 26 is an honest campaign for a pro-life measure. No posturing or dress-up is necessary to see that all human beings are people, and that all people have a right to life.”
The Yes on 26 Campaign www.yeson26.net has released a video of the deception at www.youtube.com/yeson26dotnet.
Citizen-led Campaign Advances No Exceptions Abortion Ban in Poland
WARSAW, Poland – A bill removing exceptions from the nation’s abortion laws and providing total protection for preborn children from the moment of conception is set for a parliamentary vote this week in Poland. The legislation is the result of a citizen-led initiative drive in which sponsors were required to collect 100,000 signatures over the course of three months. As reported by LifeSiteNews.com, the grassroots effort collected 600,000 signatures in just two weeks.
Currently, the Polish law allows for abortion in cases related to maternal health, if the pregnancy is the result of “illegal activity,” or if the preborn child is disabled. Polish abortionists have manipulated the exceptions to kill children with minor defects including cleft palates. Reports of fraud concerning fetal age are prevalent, and “illegal activity” is often misrepresented to include a wider range of criminal activity.
Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, a former assistant to Pope John Paul II, told Poland’s largest opinion weekly, Gosc Niedzielny, “The Church clearly teaches that it is the obligation of Catholics not to protect the current ‘compromise’ but to aim at complete protection of life. This is a solution, which the Church calls for.”
The Nazi invasion first brought decriminalized abortion to the predominately Catholic nation. Under Soviet rule, Communism accounted for a continuation of the anti-life policies. In 1993, finally free from their oppressors, Poland tightened abortion restrictions but did not institute a complete ban.
A survey conducted earlier this month demonstrates a shift in the population’s attitudes about abortion. The numbers could be attributed to differences in age demographics as the former regimes’ influence has faded and younger generations have been raised without the prejudices. 65% of Poles agree that the law “should unconditionally protect the life of all children since conception,” and 76% of those aged 15 to 24 favor total protection. While still a majority, the numbers are lower for those aged 55 to 70 at 57%.
Personhood USA, which provides support in establishing similar citizen initiative campaigns to recognize the rights of every human person from the moment of fertilization, is cheering the advances. “Across the globe, God is moving in the hearts of so many to protect the preborn. America could stand to learn something from Poland, Hungary, Mexico and so many more nations protecting all human life,” said co-founder, Keith Mason. “The people of Poland are right—every person should enjoy the full protections of the law.”
Planned Parenthood Likely Unaffected by Kansas Abortion Regulations; Personhood Kansas Calls for Amendment to Close the Doors Permanently
A new Kansas abortion law will close one of the state’s three remaining abortion facilities and is likely to force a second to discontinue providing surgical abortions. The Aid for Women clinic in Kansas City was denied a license by the state health department last week based on information obtained from their application, and the director of the second clinic in Overland Park was quoted saying, “We’re doomed.”
However, Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri President, Peter Brownlie, is optimistic following a 20-hour inspection of the organization’s Overland Park location. “The findings of the inspection indicate we will be in full compliance with the abortion facility license regulations when they go into effect on July 1,” stated Brownlie. “Thus, I believe we should be granted a license.”
Personhood Kansas weighed in on the developments. “The legislature has passed every abortion regulation imaginable. No baby is safe from the grasp of the abortionists until the personhood of every human being is affirmed by law,” explained Committee Chairperson, Bruce Garren.
Meanwhile, Mila Means, a family practitioner who has been training to perform abortions at the Aid for Women clinic, revealed plans last week to form a non-profit for the purposes of raising a million dollars and opening a new abortion facility in Wichita. “The requirements are not discouraging,” she said. “There are so many redundancies that are not important for the woman’s safety that are built into this bill specifically to deny access, and that really makes me angry. That probably reinforced my decision to keep working in this direction.”
The Kansas National Organization for Women hosted an event described as a “community discussion” at an area church on Friday to kick off Mean’s fundraising campaign. “I want people to know there are still those of us still going forward to try and keep this legal and safe procedure out there for the women who really need it,” said Means. “I will continue to work on this as a goal.” Pro-abortion author and panelist, Stephen Singular, chimed in, “It’s time to start pushing back. I think it’s the only thing the other side will understand.”
Similarly, a law enacted last year in Nebraska that restricts abortion after 20 weeks based on the capacity of preborn children to feel pain forced notorious abortionist, Leroy Carhart, to leave the state for the less restrictive laws of Maryland. The move prompted Planned Parenthood of the Heartland to announce their intentions to open six new locations throughout the state.
“Laws that regulate abortion may temporarily disable the abortion industry, but they do not end it. Anyone with the resources to do so can and will continue to kill children in our state,” continued Garren. “The people of Kansas deserve to have their voices heard, and we renew our call to recognize the God-given and inalienable rights of the preborn.”
Personhood Kansas is a grassroots coalition of local pro-life citizens and organizations campaigning for an amendment to the Kansas Constitution recognizing the legal personhood rights of every human being.
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