Politics

Georgia Republicans get the chance to vote on Personhood in 26 days

The state of Georgia has a voting procedure in the state’s primary that may sound foreign to some of us. This procedure allows citizens to speak their minds and let their legislators know, beyond a doubt, what issues are important to their constituents. The primary ballot in Georgia poses non-binding questions to voters – on issues such as gambling, guns, and lobbyists. This year, on July 31, voters in Georgia’s Republican primary will be asked to answer “yes” or “no” on the Life Amendment.

Should the Constitution of Georgia be amended so as to provide that the paramount right to life is vested in each innocent human being from his or her earliest biological beginning without regard to age, race, sex, health, function, or condition of dependency?

The Life Amendment states the basic foundation of the entire pro-life movement, but it is being supported specifically by the Personhood wing. Georgia Right to Life speaks about why the Life Amendment is necessary in Georgia and what its purpose is:

While legalized abortion has been with us since 1973, it is painfully clear that human life at all stages is threatened as never before.  Indeed, technology was in its infancy in 1973 when Roe v Wade was decided.  The reality of life in the womb made possible with ultrasound did not exist.  Emerging technologies, such as cloning, transhumanism, and genoism, or even the science of organ donations were purely science fiction.  Ethics and legal protection lag far behind scientific possibilities and experimentation.  Your “YES” vote on the life amendment will help close the gap.

Look around and you’ll see – the prolife position is increasing all the time.  A 2010 straw poll in 47 counties across Georgia, found an astonishing 75% that said “YES” to life, even in predominantly Democratic counties!   A 2010 Gallup poll confirmed for a third time that more Americans call themselves prolife than prochoice on abortion, calling the prolife majority the “new normal” in the United States.

The more often that American citizens – from any state – stand up and declare that they support human life at every stage, the sooner abortion will end in our nation. The destruction of innocent life stops not when people are silent. It stops when people add their voices and agree that we must be done, once and for all, with killing the innocent. Georgia Right to Life posted another of Thomas Jefferson’s quotes (see my article on this Founding Father’s pro-life values) in their discussion of the Life Amendment:

The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only object of good government.  [Emphasis mine.]

Let us return to the values we once held dear as Americans. Let us join together and proclaim that if we do not give life to the most innocent and helpless among us, we stand for nothing. If we do not reach out a hand to help those who need saving, we are no longer the shining light on a hill we once were. If we do not remain strong in the fight for life, we will fail. As the wise saying declares, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.”

Georgia Right to Life has created a simple, powerful, and easily understandable video detailing the Life Amendment. In this video, they refute false claims often made against personhood amendments around the nation. Watch, and if you live in Georgia, vote “YES!” on question 5 on July 31!

For more information on voting in the Georgia Republican primary and for answers to questions about the Life Amendment, visit Georgia Right to Life’s FAQ page.

   
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  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=659505440 Marie Green

    ”
    The more often that American citizens – from any state – stand up and declare that they support human life at every stage,” This is a LIE!!! Once a child is born it has to be cared for. In Georgia, this does not happen as each program to care for them is cut and seen as welfare on the state. However, we give subsidies to greedy business people all at the same time. The
    Georgia Right to Life’ does not have the right to judge or tell me what to do in my life or my daughter’s life. Want to do something decent: Feed the children that are living in Georgia, Educate our students that are breathing everyday
    in Georgia , & support the poor people with children
    in Georgia instead of constantly pulling the economic rug out from underneath them. So “No” You do not get away with telling me that Georgia & Georgia Right to Life care because they DON’T and they DON’T have more rights than I do. Stop this assault on my body and every vagina
    in Georgia! For once, put programs in place that think about the living children in this state instead of ignoring their needs to eat, sleep and play!!!! Stop fooling yourselves ….You don’t care once these children get here!!!

    • http://twitter.com/grngal51 Barbara McLendon

      Well said, Marie! I wonder how many people who say they are pro life are also in favor of the Affordable Care Act…..not many I’m sure. So when they want to stop trying to deny families of good health care, I’ll believe they are pro life!

    • Kristiburtonbrown

      Pro-lifers definitely support born children being cared for. Just because some pro-lifers don’t support your exact formula doesn’t mean we don’t have other solutions. We are all about the community getting involved and helping people out, for instance. Also, check out pro-life organizations that help born children and their families such as Teen Moms International, Babies of Juarez and Colorado Family LIfe Center.

  • http://www.facebook.com/peggy.casey Peggy Stentz Casey

    Well said, Marie. The only reason for personhood status laws and amendments is the controlling of women. These people do not care what happens to the children once they are born. And I still say that a fetus is only the possibility of a child and not a child.

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1528480346 Lilly Gabriella

    That question which will possibly be before the people of Georgia has to be the most loaded question I have ever seen in my life.
    “Earliest Biological Beginnings” is /extremely/ vague, and can just as easily be construed to mean eggs and sperm as a zygote or fetus.

    As well as “without regard to . . . health, function, or condition of dependency” which /clearly/ is a sign that NO fetus, no matter HOW incredibly horrific the circumstances of their birth and life would be to them may be terminated. You can’t tell me you are PRO-Life, when you would rather a child die in agony after months or years of constant infections, than be spared that pain by an abortion. (see Harlequin disease)

    You cannot expect me to believe you care one whit about LIFE when so many supposedly “pro-life” people are also against “socialized” health care for everyone, support the bombing of “terrorist” nations which kills women, children and pregnant women too; and are so ANTI-abortion that they even think a 10 year old girl who was raped and became pregnant should DIE trying give birth rather than have an abortion. Who think it is better for a mother of three or even more children to leave them motherless rather than undergo a procedure to save her own life.

    These Anti-Abortion “Personhood” activists are incredibly ANTI-LIFE and ANTI-Women’s Rights even to live, if the cost is an embryo or fetus.

    I can only hope the people of Georgia are capable as the citizens of Mississippi were, to see through Personhood USA’s deception and vote NO to personhood for zygotes (and possibly even eggs and sperm with this wording).

    • Anonymous

      Yes…but unlike in MS, this is a non-binding (purely symbolic) vote, and only Republicans can vote on it since it’s part of their primary. With that restriction, my guess is that it will get a decent amount of support. People don’t often think about the circumstances you describe while trying to punish women for daring to have sex for non-procreative purposes.

      • grdawg

        This is most certainly not about punishing women for have “non-procreative” sex. This is about one thing only: ending the killing of innocent human beings who have no voice.

    • Kristiburtonbrown

      Actually, Lilly, Personhood Amendments would not take away women’s right to save their own lives. I’m not sure where or why people get the idea that we are trying to exalt a baby’s right to life over a woman’s. We’re not. We’re trying to make them equal in the law, like all other human beings are. Also, please don’t assume what other issues pro-lifers do or don’t support.

      While it’s certainly sad to see any person suffering, the existence of pain and suffering never gives us the right to kill someone. If that was really the standard we accepted, our society would be in an extremely dangerous place. Who would set the standard for what “suffering” was or how much was too much? That’s just not a place our nation needs to go.

      • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1528480346 Lilly Gabriella

        I said “so many supposedly ‘pro-life’ people”. I never said “ALL”. And the ones from MS, especially in the legislature, have made their views on these subjects loud and clear. I stand by my statements.