Press Release

Speaker McCoy & Other Pro-Life Democrats Embrace Personhood in Mississippi

Submitted by Keith on Mon, 01/31/2011 - 03:17

Personhood Mississippi has received endorsements from leading Democratic legislators including Speaker Billy McCoy. The Democratic endorsements are further evidence that the effort to pass Amendment 26 is not a partisan, politically motivated effort, but rather a growing movement with broad based support to protect unborn children and their mothers.

House Speaker McCoy (D-Rienzi), in noting that he has always been pro-life, gave a written statement that included a strong affirmation of the goals of Personhood Mississippi to “amend the Constitution to provide a definition of the term ‘person’.” Speaker McCoy continued, “That term is defined to include every human being from the moment of fertilization. This definition corresponds to my personal pro-life beliefs.”

Also giving life affirming endorsements of Amendment 26 were Senators Nickey Browning (D-Pontotoc) who said he had “always been pro-life” and Eric Powell’s (D-Corinth) statement of “I’m with you.”

Senator Powell also stated that he believed the amendment would pass overwhelmingly.

Amendment 26 Sponsor and Personhood Mississippi Founder Les Riley of Hickory Flat expressed gratitude for the bi-partisan support: “This is not about Democrats, Republicans, or independents. Ours is a grassroots, volunteer-led non-partisan organization of around one thousand churches and thousands volunteers from across the state. These supporters share the common goal of stopping abortion; protecting women and children; reestablishing the rule of law and equal rights; and challenging unjust court rulings.”

Press Release: Only One Pro-Life Issue on the Ballot in Entire U.S. - ‘Personhood Amendment 62’ is Best Hope for Babies in November

Submitted by Keith on Tue, 09/14/2010 - 17:06

Denver, CO, 09/14/2010 –Pro-life voters will have only one pro-life measure to vote on this November, and that is only if they are registered to vote in Colorado. Colorado’s Personhood Amendment, Amendment 62, is the only pro-life ballot issue to make it to the November polls this year in the United States.

“Ballot initiatives are very difficult,” commented Keith Mason, Manager of the Amendment 62 campaign. “Our initiative efforts were successful because, with God’s help, we seek to protect every human person in the state of Colorado. We have truth, medicine, and scientific fact on our side. The people behind Amendment 62 have given their all to see Personhood on the ballot, because they are passionate about defending human life.”

Volunteer researchers for Personhood Colorado discovered that although quite a few pro-life ballot initiatives were attempted on a wide range of pro-life issues, yet only Colorado’s Personhood Amendment was successful for the November 2010 ballot.

“Personhood Nevada, Personhood Alaska, and Personhood Missouri were denied their rights to even begin collecting signatures, which is why you won’t see Personhood on the ballot anywhere other than Colorado,” clarified Cal Zastrow, co-founder of Personhood USA. “The ACLU and Planned Parenthood joined forces in the name of baby-murder to keep us from moving forward in Nevada and Missouri, in particular. We are looking forward to Personhood in Mississippi in 2011 and Florida in 2012, and of course, to victory in Colorado this November.”

“Personhood is about recognizing the dignity of every human life – the young, old, disabled, or infirm – every human has a right to live,” explained Gualberto Garcia-Jones, sponsor of Amendment 62. “Amendment 62 will protect every person, regardless of their circumstances, by love and by law. To be a person is to be protected by a series of God-given and constitutionally protected rights. ALL human beings are people, and must be recognized as such. A “Yes on 62” vote is a vote for life. ”

Personhood Colorado is a grassroots organization comprised of Colorado citizens who value all human life, from biological beginning to natural death. Personhood Colorado has sponsored the Personhood Amendment to the Colorado constitution, which reads: “Section 32. Person defined. As used in sections 3*, 6**, and 25*** of Article II of the state constitution, the term “person” shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.”

www.personhoodcolorado.com

Personhood Mississippi responds to lawsuit against right to life and right to vote in Mississippi.

Submitted by Keith on Thu, 07/15/2010 - 04:27

Personhood Mississippi responds to lawsuit against right to life and right to vote in Mississippi

ACLU and Planned Parenthood attorneys have filed an injunction against the Mississippi Secretary of State, seeking to disallow Mississippi voters from voting on the Mississippi Personhood Amendment.

Amendment sponsors and volunteers exceeded state signature requirements on February 17, becoming only the fourth successful ballot initiative since 1992. The one-sentence amendment reads, “The term ‘person’ or ‘persons’ shall include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof.”

“I find it ironic that the plaintiffs would wait until the first day the court is open after Independence Day, then file a lawsuit that seeks to continue the oppression of the preborn and deny the rights of over 130,000 Mississippi voters,” commented Steve Crampton, renowned Liberty Council Constitutional Attorney.

In regards to the injunction, Lt. Governor Phil Bryant said, “It is unfortunate that certain people would want to block the protection of innocent human life here in Mississippi by filing suit. Not only are they trying to stop pro-life policy but are also trying to deny the voters of Mississippi an opportunity to voice their beliefs on this issue. Those of us who believe there is nothing as important as protecting the unborn will continue to fight to give Mississippians the right to vote to end abortion in our state.”

The ACLU has also joined forces with Planned Parenthood in Nevada, Missouri, and Alaska, employing similar tactics to keep Personhood petitioners and voters from exercising their Constitutional rights. In those states, despite costly delays, the courts have yet to issue a ruling.

“As to the statement that we are ‘redefining a fertilized egg as a person’ it has always been the practice of those who want to deny rights to others to use terminology to dehumanize them. There is no such thing as a fertilized egg, as the new life they are referring to is no longer an egg but a person with his or her own DNA,” explained Les Riley, sponsor of the Mississippi Personhood Amendment. “Further, The ACLU and Planned Parenthood attorneys allege that the one-sentence amendment modifies the Bill of Rights, yet the proposed amendment does not modify any section of the Bill of Rights, it simply clarifies to whom those rights apply. We are not in any way ‘amending’ the Bill of Rights. We do not strike out, insert, substitute any words, or formally alter the current Bill of Rights in any way.”

Continued Riley, “This is clearly a preposterous lawsuit, intended to interfere with Mississippi citizens’ right to vote, and to protect Planned Parenthood’s abortion cash cow. Planned Parenthood and the ACLU are seeking to protect Planned Parenthood’s one billion dollar a year profit, while Mississippi voters are seeking to protect innocent life. We intend to fight this suit, defending our rights as Mississippi voters and the most basic right of preborn children, the right to life.”

Pastors Commit Sanctity of Life Sunday to Petitioning for Preborn Lives

Submitted by Keith on Wed, 01/13/2010 - 19:30

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.

Pro-Abortion Group Nominates Personhood USA to Abortion “Hall of Shame”

Submitted by Keith on Tue, 12/29/2009 - 08:00

Press Release

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. “Of course birth control, stem-cell research, and in-vitro fertilization would only be affected by Personhood if they killed a living human being,” continued Mason. “Birth control methods that did not kill an innocent human would 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.

Planned Parenthood and ACLU Obstruct People’s Rights with Lawsuit against Personhood Nevada

Submitted by Keith on Fri, 11/13/2009 - 07:32

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.”

Planned Parenthood Missouri Attempts to Shut Down Personhood by Lawsuit Against State of Missouri

Submitted by Keith on Fri, 10/30/2009 - 21:29

October 30, 2009, St. Louis, MO – Planned Parenthood sued the State of Missouri this week to challenge two pro-life ballot initiatives, in an apparent effort to stifle the people’s constitutional right to the ballot process.

One of the ballot initiatives, submitted by Personhood Missouri, states, “Section 35, Person defined. As used in sections 2, 10, and 14 of Article I of the state constitution, the term “person” shall apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.”

The personhood amendment, along with another pro-life initiative, were both approved by Secretary of State Democrat Robin Carnahan on October 20th. An amendment much like this one was introduced in Colorado and found to be a single-subject issue, approved by the Colorado State Supreme Court. The Planned Parenthood lawsuit claims that the Missouri personhood amendment did not warn voters of the legal and constitutional fallout if the ballot measure passes.

“The legal and constitutional ‘fallout’ of a Missouri Personhood amendment, is that all humans in the state of Missouri have human rights,” stated Keith Mason, of Personhood USA. “All humans are people, and must be protected.”

According to the law, it is not required or necessary for ballot initiative proposers to outline every possible legal scenario if an amendment is passed.

“Our amendment is easy to understand, and simply protects all humans from their biological beginning,” stated Dr. Gregory Thompson, initiative sponsor. “The Planned Parenthood lawsuit was quoted in several newspapers as incorrectly using the term, ‘fertilized egg’. In fact, at the moment of biological beginning, the newly formed human being is not an egg at all, but a unique individual person.”

This lawsuit will cost taxpayers additional funds and use valuable government resources, pointed out Dr. Thompson. He continued to say, “The very organization that uses tax dollars to cause the deaths of millions of innocent human beings and many mothers, along with years of physical, mental, and spiritual pain, is now using government resources again to keep this issue from going to the voters.”

“The motivation of Planned Parenthood is highly suspect. This lawsuit addresses a concern about loss of funds, yet Planned Parenthood reportedly brought in over 10 million dollars in 2008 in Missouri alone, and over a billion dollars nationwide, ” continued Mason. “This is clearly an act of desperation by a billion dollar industry, seeking to keep the issue of Personhood away from the people of Missouri.”

For Interviews Contact: Dr. Gregory Thompson of Personhood Missouri at 417-894-5768 or 417-754-8774 or Keith Mason of Personhood USA at 202-595-3500 ext. 3.

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.

File:

PETITION TO CHALLENGE OFFICIAL BALLOT TITLE AND FISCAL NOTE OF INITIATIVE PETITION

Missouri Group Launches Campaign for Personhood Rights of Pre-Born Babies

Submitted by Keith on Fri, 09/18/2009 - 11:50

Personhood Missouri Submits Personhood Amendment to Missouri State Constitution
Contact: Gregory Thompson, 417- 894-5768 or 417-754-8774 or Mark Kiser, 417-773-4840

PRESS RELEASE, Sept. 17/ Pro-life Missourians submitted language late yesterday to the Missouri Secretary of State to bring the protection of the Missouri Constitution to the most defenseless human beings, preborn children.

The amendment, which is known as the Personhood Amendment, will define all human beings as equal persons under the law from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.

Led by local pro-lifers, Gregory Thompson and Mark Kiser the Missouri Personhood Amendment joins Florida, Montana, Colorado, and Mississippi, which started Personhood efforts earlier this year.

“No human being in the state of Missouri should ever be considered property,” stated Gregory Thompson of Personhood Missouri. “Right now, the child in the womb has no rights. The Personhood Amendment will simply ensure that our laws recognize what we already know: a person’s a person no matter how small.”

“Personhood USA is proud to stand with those in Missouri as they work to have all humans protected by love and by law," added Keith Mason of Personhood USA.
For Interviews Please Contact Gregory Thompson at: 417-894-5768 or 417-754-8774 or personhoodmo@yahoo.com Mark 417-773-4840.