Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Contact Keith Ashley
info@personhoodkansas.com
January, 26TH, 2010

Personhood Kansas Launches Campaign to Amend Constitution, Recognize Human Rights

A new Kansas pro-life organization, Personhood Kansas, is seeking to partner with Christian and pro-life leaders, activists, and volunteers to form a statewide, grassroots coalition. The group was created for a single purpose—to conduct a campaign which results in the amending of the Kansas Constitution so that every child of God is protected by love and by law.
Similar groups have sprung up in several states after Personhood Colorado attempted to amend Colorado’s constitution on Election Day 2008. “The effectiveness of the personhood coalition in Colorado has really been the inspiration. They were the first to demonstrate how close we are to recognizing the personhood of the preborn,” said Keith Ashley, Personhood Kansas Petition Drive Coordinator.
Personhood Kansas has advised the drafting of language that would recognize the right to personhood for all human beings from the biological beginning of human development. “Basic biology explains that human life begins at the moment of fertilization. This is the moment when we are no longer talking about functional parts of a woman and a man, but rather, we see a complete, genetically unique, living human being. Just like injustices in the past that relied on the ‘not all human beings are persons’ argument because of our differences such as race or gender, so too, denying the preborn full human personhood is discrimination based on an equally arbitrary human property—age,” explains Ashley.
The organization has started a statewide petition drive with the intent to deliver the responses to the state legislature. “A two-thirds majority of both legislative houses is needed to pass the amendment and that can be a rather challenging endeavor, so it is of the utmost importance that Kansans voice their desire to see this measure passed,” said Ashley.
The amendment process will then call for a referendum which will give Kansans an opportunity to vote the measure into law. “An advantage of a constitutional amendment is that it will be the supreme law of the state. But equally as advantageous is that the process will skip the pro-abortion Governor’s desk altogether and go directly to the people,” Ashley continues.
Personhood Kansas is calling on all Christian and pro-life leaders to get involved by announcing the petition drive and collecting signatures from their churches, parishes, organizations, and events, and by networking with leaders throughout the state. Future plans include a mass emailing and calling campaign, but the group is not advising citizens to wait for instructions. Rather, they are encouraging citizens to start contacting their legislators immediately to voice their support for human personhood in Kansas.
For more information regarding the personhood coalition in Kansas go to www.PersonhoodKansas.com or email them at info@personhoodkansas.com.

Pastors Commit Sanctity of Life Sunday to Petitioning for Preborn Lives
Washington D.C., January 13, 2010 – Pastors across the nation have committed to using January 24 – traditionally Sanctity of Life Sunday – as an opportunity to put their faith in action and gather signatures for the Personhood movement.

“At First Baptist Jackson, we are thrilled to give our people the opportunity to sign a petition to put the Personhood Initiative on the ballot,” stated Pastor Stan Buckley, Senior Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Jackson, Mississippi. “Abortion – the taking of innocent human life – is one of the most important issues facing our state and our nation. We encourage more Christians and more churches to get involved in the fight for life. Getting the Personhood initiative on the ballot is a huge step because we believe the people of Mississippi, if given the opportunity, will choose life!”

Petition drives in Colorado and Mississippi are getting close to having enough signatures to put personhood amendments on the ballot. “In every Personhood campaign, churches are the key,” explained Keith Mason, cofounder of Personhood USA. “This year, we are very excited that hundreds of churches around the country will be honoring the sanctity of life.”

“By default, we are called to protect human life with our God given rights and resources,” added Pastor Adam Briggs of Damascus Road Bible Fellowship in Indiana. “Let all pastors join together and publicly declare the personhood of all human beings!”

Currently Montana, Colorado, Mississippi, Florida and California are all gathering signatures to put personhood amendments on their state’s ballot. In these states pastors can celebrate Petition for Life Sunday by collecting signatures to protect every child by love and by law.

In other states, pastors can encourage their flocks to restore the dignity of every human person, by supporting or even leading the personhood efforts in their state. Over 40 states are working towards Personhood for all human beings.

More information about Petition for Life Sunday is available at www.PersonhoodUSA.com.

“We will win the battle and restore dignity to every human person in America! Let’s use the coming sanctity of life Sunday to protect children not just in word, but also in deed by affirming their personhood rights in our law and by love,” concluded Mason.

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.

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

www.personhoodnevada.com

Pro-Abortion Group Nominates Personhood USA to Abortion “Hall of Shame”
12/29/09 Washington, D.C.– The National Abortion Rights Action League has announced its nominees for a 2009 “Hall of Shame” – those who posed the greatest threat to abortion in America.

Among a list of noteworthy pro-life individuals – all politicians – the only pro-life organization nominated is Personhood USA, a grassroots Christian organization founded to establish personhood efforts across America.

“We at Personhood USA are honored to be considered one of the top four threats to abortion in America,” commented Keith Mason, co-founder of Personhood USA. “Preborn babies are human beings with a God-given right to live. NARAL is a greedy, bloodthirsty organization, but they have pegged us correctly – Personhood USA is working to outlaw abortion, recognizing the Personhood rights of every child in America.”

NARAL’s describes Personhood USA as: “The group behind the anti-choice “personhood” measures, Personhood USA, exists solely to establish legal rights for fertilized eggs and trigger legal battles over abortion that could go all the way to the Supreme Court. Not only could the strategy outlaw abortion, but it could even threaten birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization. Working to outlaw abortion makes Personhood USA a strong candidate for Hall of Shame of the year.”

“What’s astonishing about this mention is that Personhood USA is only one year old,” added Cal Zastrow, co-founder of Personhood USA. “Yet in that one year, we’ve launched efforts in over 30 states, and we currently have petitions going in seven states. God is blessing our efforts to protect all babies, and these efforts are being multiplied by regular citizens who want to see an end to child killing in America.”

Personhood USA has noted NARAL’s careful wording concerning birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization.

“Birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization would only be affected by Personhood when they kill a living human being,” continued Mason. “Birth control methods that do not kill an innocent human will not be affected. Adult stem cell research would not be affected. In-vitro fertilization’s current practice may be adjusted, but certainly not eradicated. The bottom line is that NARAL exists to promote the killing of innocent children. Even their use of the term ‘fertilized egg’ is a misnomer – scientifically, once a human egg is fertilized it is no longer an egg, but a new individual with his or her own DNA. It’s clear that to be on their ‘Hall of Shame’ list is not a bad thing.”

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.