Tuesday January 26, 2010
Personhood Kansas Launches Campaign to Amend Constitution
January 26, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A new Kansas pro-life organization, Personhood Kansas, is seeking to partner with Christian and pro-life leaders, activists, and volunteers to work to amend the Kansas Constitution to protect all human beings, including the unborn.
Similar groups have sprung up in several states after a ballot measure to amend Colorado’s constitution made it onto the ballot in 2008. The measure was subsequently defeated.
“The effectiveness of the personhood coalition in Colorado has really been the inspiration,” said Keith Ashley, Personhood Kansas Petition Drive Coordinator. “They were the first to demonstrate how close we are to recognizing the personhood of the preborn.”
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,” said Ashley. “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.”
The organization has started a statewide petition drive with the intent to deliver the responses to the state legislature.
Ashley explained that a two-thirds majority of both legislative houses is needed to pass the amendment, which he called “a rather challenging endeavor.”
“So it is of the utmost importance that Kansans voice their desire to see this measure passed,” he said.
The amendment process will then call for a referendum, which will give Kansans an opportunity to vote the measure into law.
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.
Instead, they are encouraging citizens to start contacting their legislators immediately to voice their support for human personhood in Kansas.