Vote YES on Pro-Life, Personhood Amendment
Rob ChambersThe MS Supreme Court, consisting of 9 elected justices, handed down a 7-2 decision that Mississippians have a right to vote for the personhood amendment on Nov. 8th.
The justices supporting Mississippians’ right to vote are: Chief Justice William L. (Bill) Waller, Jr., Presiding Justice George C. Carlson, Jr., Presiding Justice Jess H. Dickinson, Associate Justice Michael K. Randolph, Associate Justice Ann H. Lamar, Associate Justice David A. Chandler, and Associate Justice Randy G. Pierce. Those opposed are Associate Justice James W. Kitchens and Associate Justice Leslie D. King.
The personhood amendment will define the term ‘person’ under the MS Constitution’s Bill of Rights as any human being regardless of age, physical or mental condition, or method of reproduction – natural or artificial.
It is critical that this amendment pass in MS because other states and even other nations are watching to see if one of the most pro-life states will declare the rights of the unborn. If it can pass in MS it will obviously give hope to other states in passing such an amendment, but if it does not, then it communicates a message of despair since not even one of the most pro-life states can pass it.
This amendment will ensure that all human beings in Mississippi are protected under the Mississippi Constitution’s Bill of Rights which states “No person shall be deprived of life, liberty, or property except by due process of law”, and the unborn are no less subject to these God-ordained rights under the MS Constitution that any other human being.
In fact, the nation’s founding fathers stated this in the Declaration of Independence, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” They recognized that a human being’s right to live and to be free was not something certain people withhold from others, and the personhood amendment reinforces this very fact.
In anticipation of this amendment in 2009, messengers to the Mississippi Baptist Convention overwhelmingly passed a resolution that affirms the intent of the personhood amendment. This resolution states that “Mississippi Baptists affirm all just and legal pro-life efforts that support the biblical principle that all unborn human life are persons.” So, when going to the polls on November 8th, it is important to vote yes and not leave it blank.
In order for this amendment to pass, the total number of ‘yes’ and ‘no’ votes must not be less than forty percent (40%) of the total votes that are cast. For example, if 1 million people vote in the upcoming election, then 400,000 people would have to vote either way on the amendment. A majority of the votes would have to be in favor of the amendment for it to pass. Again, it is very important that people vote on the amendment and that people encourage others to vote for it as well because passing this amendment is not a ‘slam dunk.’
Intense opposition is expected from out-of-state special interest groups, Planned Parenthood and the ACLU, and Jackson’s National Organization for Women who have placed their leaders in position in MS to lead and finance a deceptive campaign under the guise of the organization called ‘Mississippians for Healthy Families.’
Colossians 2:8 says, “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ.” Mississippians for Healthy Families will likely be using deceit and the basic principles of the world to mislead Mississippians into what ‘they’ think is best for the unborn in Mississippi according to their own traditions.
For example, they will say that this amendment legalizes cloning or will prevent women from using IVF to get pregnant; this is categorically false. The amendment simply states that an unborn child is still a person even if human reproduction is the result of an unnatural means like cloning. Cloning human beings is illegal in MS, but if the amendment passes and cloning were to become legal - God forbid - then scientists could not kill cloned persons for embryonic stem cell research purposes, for example.
Reproductive therapy, IVF, on the other hand, is legal. If this amendment passes, IVF will still be legal and women can still use IVF to get pregnant. The amendment simply declares that embryos who are unnaturally reproduced in a test tube or petri dish still have the same right-to-life as any other human person.
Finally, this is not a political issue and pastors ought not to cower away from supporting it. It is a Biblical issue. It is a moral issue and does not relate to candidates. The IRS does not impose limitations on pastors and churches speaking on moral and ethical issues.
For more information on the amendment, IRS regulations, or to learn how you and your church can support the pro-life, personhood amendment please contact the CAC or go to http://www.ChristianAction.com and look under Hot Topics on the home page or go to http://www.YesOn26.net or http://www.PersonhoodMississippi.com.