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November 02, 2009
'Personhood' Movement Explodes in 32 States
'Personhood' movement explodes in 32 states
Pro-lifers: Wildfire effort could be death blow to abortion in Obamacare
A pro-life movement seeking to guarantee basic human rights to unborn babies is exploding in 32 states – and leaders say it could be just the key to nullifying abortion provisions in President Obama's health-care "reform."
While abortion was not specifically mentioned in earlier bills under consideration, H.R.3962, unveiled by Nancy Pelosi this week, does in fact state abortion is to be covered. Concerns are mounting that whatever the final form of the legislation, the procedure will become more accessible, requiring health insurance companies to fund abortions.
Gualberto Garcia Jones is director of Personhood Colorado and a legal analyst for Personhood USA, a grassroots Christian organization that seeks to legally define every unborn baby as a "person" protected by God-given and constitutionally protected rights, including the right to life. His organization was set up to support personhood efforts across America through legislation and constitutional amendments.
"We're trying to end abortion right now," Garcia Jones told WND. "All of our laws that we're promoting are direct challenges to Roe v. Wade. If we can get a challenge up to the Supreme Court, then that's the ideal thing. That's what we're trying to do."
The personhood approach within the pro-life movement was sparked by a statement in the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision that opened the doors for legal abortion in the U.S.
Justice Harry Blackmun wrote in the majority opinion for Roe v. Wade, "The appellee and certain amici [pro-lifers] argue that the fetus is a 'person' within the language and meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment. In support of this, they outline at length and in detail the well-known facts of fetal development. If this suggestion of personhood is established, the appellant's case, of course, collapses, for the fetus' right to life would then be guaranteed specifically by the [14th] Amendment."
According to the movement, if every unborn baby is defined as a person, each baby will be legally guaranteed the same right to life as all Americans.
"We believe – and a lot of the justices on the Supreme Court agree with us – that there is no right to privacy that would allow abortion," Garcia Jones said. "Since it's not mentioned directly in the 14th Amendment, we could use the 10th Amendment and the states' rights to police themselves and to pass laws regulating morality and health and safety to regulate abortion so it's not permitted. Basically it would be treated the same way as a homicide, where a state can regulate how they punish it and how they try to prevent it, but they could never allow it."
He continued, "We believe respect for life is in the Constitution, so therefore a state could never say you can kill a person."
Garcia Jones said the personhood movement is a timely approach considering the widespread success of the tea party movement, the states' rights movement and voter frustration with what they consider overreaching policies by the federal government.
He said citizens in 32 states are now acting to find sponsors for personhood statutes or constitutional amendments to include them on 2010 ballots.
"It's taken off so much that we're having trouble keeping up with it," he said. "Colorado, Montana, Missouri, Mississippi and California are all in the process of getting signatures."
The Los Angeles Times reported Sept. 28 that while personhood measures failed in Montana and North Dakota legislatures earlier this year, "the close votes alarmed supporters of legal abortion."
According to WND columnist Jill Stanek, pro-life legislators in Alaska, Arkansas, Hawaii, Indiana, Louisiana and Texas have also signaled their intent to introduce personhood statutes.
A national pro-life group is warning members of Congress that a vote in favor of the 1,990-page House healthcare bill is a vote to establish a federal government program that will fund abortion-on-demand with taxpayer dollars.
Page 110 the Affordable Health Care for America Act, authorizes a new government health insurance program to pay for all elective abortions.
Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Committee, says: "This is a federal agency, a federal program, [and] of course it's going to spend federal funds -- that's the only kind of funds it's got. So all of these assurances that some prominent Democrats, including President Obama, have given that there won't be federal funding for abortions, that's not what's in the bill."
Mr. Johnson maintains that House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-California) wants to ram the bill through Congress without the House Members having the opportunity to vote on a single amendment.
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Wild Thing's comment........
This is so horrible, that they would force all of us to pay for abortions in this anti-life healh care of Obama's. I sure hope the group mentioned in the article can stop it. I bet a lot of people don't even know it is in the bill.
....Thank you Mark for sending this to me.
Mark
3rd Mar.Div. 1st Battalion 9th Marine Regiment
1/9 Marines aka The Walking Dead
VN 66-67
Posted by Wild Thing at November 2, 2009 06:49 AM
Comments
For me, I am pro life. It's my choice to be. It broke my heart when I lost my child in 93 (he would be 16 this year.)and people thought I was this horrible monster because I had a D&C. It was that or die myself and leave a husband and 3 year old behind. Abortion should not be a form of birth control and my tax dollars should not be funding them. But it should be available for women like me, who have babies die in utero. It's the worst feeling in the world and you never get over it.
Posted by: Lynn at November 2, 2009 08:22 AM
Liberals will defend the life of a convicted triple murderer or the "rights" of a terrorist, but they will not defend the life of the unborn.
Posted by: TomR at November 2, 2009 12:20 PM
Yup, Lynn I know what you mean I lost my grandson two years ago this past August. He would've been 5 this coming December 7. My daughter is still having nightmares about it and dealing with it is a day to day deal, even after two years.
Maybe this 'Person-hood' will move the country in the right direction. There is no way the Government should be paying for killing innocent Children. Science Czar Holdren thinks children as old as three should be reserved to be considered as a late stage abortion, At 3 ? This is indeed murder.
The progressives call it 'Choice'. As stated above one wonders where these so 'called' Justices found the 'Woman's Right to Privacy' in the Constitution, it certainly isn't written down anywhere. This is when they hit you with the Penumbra thing, Oh it is the essence of the document. To that I say bullshit, it's not in there.
Posted by: Mark at November 2, 2009 02:14 PM
Lynn, I am so sorry and I understand
so much. I am thankful to God you
are here and I know it had to be a
decision that had to be made.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 3, 2009 12:05 AM
Tom, yes it is used by a lot of people
instead of birth control too.
But at the same time liberals want
to let killers out of jail.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 3, 2009 12:07 AM
Mark, I have been praying for your daughter
so much.
Good point about the Constitution.
Posted by: Wild Thing at November 3, 2009 12:09 AM
