Press Release

ARVADA, Colo., Dec. 15th, 2011 - Texas Governor Rick Perry has added his name to the list of GOP Presidential Candidates who have signed a pro-life pledge sponsored by Personhood USA.

Perry is the fourth to sign the pledge, joining Minnesota Congresswoman Michele Bachmann, former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. An open invitation has been extended to Congressman Ron Paul, Governor Mitt Romney, and Governor Jon Huntsman.

"Rick Perry's signature on the personhood pledge shows he is 'fed up' with the scourge of child killing in America, as are all pro-lifers," commented Steve Deace, a syndicated radio host whose influence in the Iowa Caucuses has been highlighted by numerous national media outlets. "Since he is the only candidate in the race to currently hold executive office, it should be our expectation that he'll now commit this pledge to action by championing efforts to enact Personhood legislation in the sovereign state of Texas. He is uniquely empowered to advance the cause of Personhood as a governor of a large, conservative state. A man of his word will do exactly that after signing a pledge like this."

Recently, the Southern Baptists of Texas Convention passed a resolution for Personhood in which they resolved to "encourage our elected Texas legislators to adopt an amendment that would affirm the personhood of the unborn," a statement directly in agreement with Governor Perry's signed Personhood pledge.

“We’re pleased that more candidates are standing with the Republican Party's position on Personhood. There is a high standard for candidates who claim to be prolife, and that standard is the personhood rights of the preborn child. These candidates are pledging to agree with Ronald Reagan, and with the vast majority of Republicans, without compromising on human life," stated Gualberto Garcia Jones, J.D., legal analyst for Personhood USA. "Personhood is not a new concept. All human beings are people, and all people have a right to live. Candidates who believe in the Sanctity of Life must also believe in the Personhood rights of all children, born or preborn."

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 preborn.

Following the defeat of Personhood Amendment 26, Personhood Mississippi commissioned a post-election poll to determine what factors influenced voters. Surprisingly, the poll determined that only 8% of those who voted “no” did so because they are pro-choice.

The nation has watched the Mississippi election closely, and there has been much speculation as to what may have caused the unanticipated defeat. Proponents were repeatedly quoted as saying that the amendment could not ban in vitro fertilization, contraception, or healthcare for women. Their statements were correlated by the Mississippi Center for Public Policy, along with many other prominent Mississippi attorneys, doctors, and politicians.

Yet, despite these expert statements and testimonies as to the effects of Amendment 26, Planned Parenthood (under the guise of Mississippians for Healthy Families), persisted in lying to Mississippi voters, propagating scare tactics that were proven false numerous times. As of October 31, with well over a week to go before the election, they reported a hefty $1,030,000 poured into Mississippi from out of state Planned Parenthood affiliates alone.

“Planned Parenthood pulled the wool over the eyes of Mississippians, and I believe that voters will be shocked to learn the truth,” commented Les Riley, founder of Personhood Mississippi and sponsor of the initiative. “They must have been desperate to lie about so many things so often. But beyond the lies, it’s terrible to know that they likely used my own tax dollars to lie to the people of my state. Planned Parenthood reports over $350 million in government funding, and it appears they used well over a million of their government dollars to lie to people in Mississippi.”

The new poll reveals that Planned Parenthood’s willful deceit, which also raised doubts in the mind of Governor Haley Barbour, caused the defeat of Amendment 26.

Governor Barbour previously stated that he had concerns about the amendment, all of which were the same issues that Planned Parenthood used to deceive voters. Barbour did vote “yes” on the amendment, yet even after he announced that he had voted “yes” Planned Parenthood persisted in running television ads and telephone calls misleading voters to believe he had voted “no.” As a result, 12% of voters polled said that they were swayed to vote “no” by Haley Barbour.

Among the most shocking, 31% voted “no” because they thought it would ban in vitro fertilization, a direct lie from the Planned Parenthood camp.

28% of voters polled voted "no" because they believed the Planned Parenthood lie that women would be denied treatment for ectopic pregnancy.

“My family and I invested years of work into this amendment, only to have the largest abortion provider in the country invade Mississippi with their anti-family rhetoric,” continued Riley. “Knowing that Mississippi voted ‘no’ because of lies from our opponents makes me more determined than ever to try again, defending the rights of all Mississippians.”

Only 24 people out of 10,000 polled voted “no” because there were no exceptions for rape and incest, indicating that most voters understand that the human being in the womb is a person, no matter the circumstances of their conception.

On Monday, November 21, Personhood Colorado and Personhood USA will release details of their plans for a 2012 Personhood Amendment. New sponsors and new personhood language – the first of its kind in the United States – will be revealed in a press conference on the Capitol Steps.

Following the Mississippi defeat, the leadership of Personhood USA and Personhood Colorado will unveil a new game plan for the Colorado Personhood Amendment.

“This new Personhood Amendment will be unlike any other,” explained Gualberto GarciaJones, legal analyst for Personhood USA and founding member of Personhood Colorado. “Between 2008 and 2010, we saw a tremendous increase – 51,000 additional people voted for life. In 2012, we expect to continue this trend – new language and sponsors will continue to increase the odds in our favor.”

What: Personhood USA and Personhood Colorado announce plans for 2012 personhood initiative.

Where: West Steps of the Denver Capitol

When: Monday, November 21st, at 11:00am.

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.

On Yahoo News: http://news.yahoo.com/personhood-usa-applauds-findings-report-detailing-...

Personhood USA says new report confirms “the rights of the preborn, as affirmed by the Mississippi Personhood Amendment, will not take precedence.”

Jackson, MS (PRWEB) November 05, 2011
In a new report titled “Personhood Amendment Will Not Change Legal Safeguards for Physicians Providing Necessary Treatment to Pregnant Patients,” the Mississippi Center for Public Policy analyzes the legal effects of enacting the Mississippi Personhood Amendment, Initiative 26. The analysis can be read at: http://www.mspolicy.com.

“The Mississippi Center for Public Policy has received many questions about the legal implications of Ballot Initiative 26 – The Personhood Amendment. One question that stands out is whether the amendment would subject medical professionals to prosecution for performing life-saving procedures, such as treating a woman for cancer or terminating an ectopic pregnancy,” writes co-author and Policy Analyst George S. Whitten, Jr., Esq.

“Personhood USA is pleased that an independent organization has taken the time to write this assessment and clear up any confusion,” said Personhood USA Legal Analyst Gualberto Garcia Jones, J.D.

As to the claim that Amendment 26 will prohibit life-saving medical care, it reads: “Mississippi law permits abortion in order to save the life of the mother. Our statutes already exempt physicians from being prosecuted for terminating an ectopic pregnancy. Passage of the Personhood Amendment would not change these statutes.”

Whitten writes: “Mississippi law protects medical professionals from criminal liability for the accidental homicide of an unborn person. Under the Personhood Amendment, there will continue to be no criminal liability for medical professionals who prescribe a medication fatal to an unborn baby to treat a female patient whose pregnancy was unknown and was not reasonably discoverable.”

Answering questions regarding in vitro fertilization, he continues: “IVF assists in reproducing a human life. By contrast, abortion necessarily involves killing a human life. IVF procedures can be performed without destroying human embryos, and therefore would still be permissible under Initiative 26. As is currently being done in many cases, any excess embryos not implanted in the womb could be frozen and implanted later or adopted out to other parents.”

“Before birth, we are persons, not property,” continued Garcia Jones. “Amendment 26 simply ends the destruction by recognizing our right to live at this age.”

Co-author and Vice President for Policy Jameson Taylor, Ph.D. concludes: “[I]f an unborn child’s death is accidental or necessary to save his mother’s life, there is no justifiable legal or ethical ground for prosecuting a physician who terminates an ectopic pregnancy or who prescribes medication injurious to an unborn child – either under current law, or under a state constitution that recognizes the basic fact that life begins at fertilization.”

“Despite all of the media attention focusing on unsubstantiated concerns, this third party analysis confirms what supporters of Amendment 26 have been saying all along—the rights of the preborn, as affirmed by the Mississippi Personhood Amendment, will not take precedence over those of the mother,” stated Garcia Jones, J.D. “In fact, as it is written to protect every human being, both born and unborn, it will simply validate the equal and inalienable rights of all people and facilitate a just society.”

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