The North Dakota House of Representatives has passed the first personhood amendment in the United States, 57-35. Read more
Colorado
Will Colorado Politicians Who Backed Personhood 2010 Be Supportive Again - Big Media and Huff. Post
Backers of a Colorado personhood amendment, which would essentially give the same legal protections to a fertilized egg or “zygote” as you’ve got if you’re alive and reading this, announced Tuesday that they’ve launched their campaign to put a personhood measure on the ballot next year.
The question for reporters to dig into now is, will the same politicians who backed the personhood amendment last year jump on board again?
Here in Colorado, some of the highest-ranking GOP politicians in the state are personhood backers, even though the measure was shot down badly both in 2008 and again in 2010.
Last year, you recall, failed U.S. Senate candidate Ken Buck un-endorsed the measure, after it became clear that it would not only ban almost all abortions, but also common birth-control methods, like IUDs and some forms of the Pill.
But other high-powered Colorado politicians who backed personhood last year didn’t take their endorsements back.
These include Congressmen Mike Coffman, Cory Gardner, and Scott Tipton, as well as numerous state legislators, all Republicans.
I attended Tuesday’s personhood news conference to make sure these issues were raised by reporters, and because they were not, I filled in the journalistic gap.
I asked Kristi Brown, who’s changed her name from Kristi Burton since she sponsored the first personhood amendment with her father in 2008, if she expected to get the same support from major candidates that her measure had gotten previously.
I mean, you can argue that without a Republican primary, GOP candidates like Scott Tipton and Cory Gardner might not endorse the 2012 measure, given its apparent unpopularity with voters, especially women.
And neither Coffman, Gardner, nor Tipton have sponsored legislation in Congress that would establish personhood as the law of the land, not just Colorado, so you have to wonder what’s going on with them.
“I haven’t personally talked to [Tipton and Gardner],” Brown told me.
“I know Cory Gardner is very conservative, has really good stands. I talked to him on the 2008 amendment. He was very, very supportive. He was one of our main supporters. So I would guess that he would.”
When she says a main supporter what does she mean?
“Very supportive,” she said. “He would come to events for us. He talked about it.”
Here’s Gardner at one personhood event.
I asked Gualberto Garcia Jones, who spoke at the news conference and wrote (with Brown) this year’s amendment, which has more expansive and precise language than last year’s, if he thought presidential candidate Mitt Romney would support his amendment this time, given that he’s changed his position over the years. Garcia Jones said Romney is known as a flip flopper and that his group would persevere regardless of the positions of Democratic or Republican politicians. (No major Democrats support the effort, as far as I know, but Michele Bachman, Herman Cain, and Newt Gingrich back personhood, and it’s endorsed in a plank of the national GOP platform.
Asked if he thought he’d get Tipton and Gardner on board for personhood this time, former gubernatorial candidate and “Generations Radio” host Kevin Swanson, said, “I think so,” adding that he hopes to get Democrats as well. (In his prepared remarks, Swanson repeated his view that said Dr. Seuss summed up the amendment best when he wrote, “A person’s a person no matter how small.”)
“I think it’s real possible we could get some strong Republican support,” but he said he hadn’t been in touch with Tipton or Gardner.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/jason-salzman/will-colorado-politicians_b_…
New Colo. Personhood Amendment Features New, Improved Language - Christian Post
http://www.christianpost.com/news/new-colo-personhood-amendment-features…
Christian pro-life group Personhood USA is making plans for a 2012 personhood amendment in Colorado after learning from the mistakes of the failed Mississippi amendment.
On Monday, the leadership of Personhood USA and Personhood Colorado announced plans to pursue a Colorado Personhood Amendment. In light of the unsuccessful Mississippi measure, officials say they have a new language to encourage an upswing in the number of people who vote to protect pre-born life.
“In past elections Planned Parenthood, which is the largest and wealthiest abortion provider in the United States, attacked our amendments with lies and scare tactics,” Personhood USA Co-founder Keith Mason said during the Monday press conference. “The new personhood language prevents those falsehoods by making it absolutely clear what the amendment can and cannot do – while still protecting every child from his or her earliest stages.”
A previous personhood amendment that appeared on the 2010 ballot in Colorado simply tried to amend articles of the state constitution to define person to “apply to every human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being.”
Now the 2012 amendment will include two new definitions crafted by Personhood USA Legal Analyst Gualberto Garcia Jones to the original statement.
The word “person” is defined to mean “every human being regardless of the method of creation.” The person definition embraces babies conceived though in vitro fertilization. The term “human being” is defined as “a member of the species Homo Sapiens at any stage of development.”
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The amendment also has clauses clarifying how it would be implemented.
Jones told The Christian Post one of the clauses clarifies that the amendment does not ban birth control. “It will only affect birth control that kills a person,” he said. That means the pill will be allowed while RU486, nicknamed the abortion pill, would be banned.
Additionally, another clause makes it clear that the ban will not punish mischarges that occur due to life-saving treatments such as chemotherapy or surgeries removing a cancerous uterus.
“It’s not that we changed our position,” said Jones. “We’re just putting it in the language.”
Personhood USA and Personhood Colorado hope the new language will sway Christian groups which have been hesitant to support the bill in the past.
The Mississippi personhood Amendment 26 failed with 45 percent of voters supporting the provision and 55 percent opposing.
Though the amendment seemed to serve the interests of pro-lifers who oppose abortion as murder of the pre-born, the state amendment seemed to divide factions of the movement. The Mississippi Baptist Convention supported the proposed amendment while the Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi and the United Methodist Church General Conference opposed the measure.
The Catholic Diocese of Jackson chose not to take a position on the amendment. However, the Montana Catholic Conference chose not to support the amendment.
“We believe the strategy to pass a state constitutional amendment declaring personhood is problematic, in part, because of its heavy reliance on unpredictable courts and dependence on future legislative actions to define and implement the law,” the conference said in a statement.
Gov. Haley Barbour told Fox News, “Some very strongly pro-life people have raised questions about the ambiguity and about the actual consequences of whether there are unforeseen, unintended consequences.”
Jones responded, saying, “The reason that a lot of Christians were not clear or were confused by the languages [was] because the opposition did that.”
Planned Parenthood Federation of America said in a statement that the personhood initiative “would have allowed the government to have control over personal decisions that should be left up to a woman, her family, her doctor and her faith, including keeping a woman with a life-threatening pregnancy from getting the care she needs, and criminalizing everything from abortion to common forms of birth control such as the pill and the IUD (the intrauterine device).”
Despite efforts to clarify the true bill’s effects, it failed.
Now Personhood USA officials are confident the new amendment will be well received and passed by pro-life advocates.
The new Personhood Amendment language was submitted to the secretary of state’s office Monday afternoon. Sponsors are now awaiting state approval before beginning the petition process.
http://www.christianpost.com/news/new-colo-personhood-amendment-features…
Personhood USA again pushes for right-to-life amendment to Colorado Constitution - Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/news/ci_19387552
Denver-based Personhood USA filed new language Monday for a proposed right-to-life constitutional amendment to end abortions in Colorado.
Supporters of the 2012 ballot question say revised language will make this third attempt clearer to voters, but opponents say the electorate roundly rejected similar measures in 2008 and 2010 and will do so again.
If the secretary of state approves the language, proponents will need to collect about 79,000 valid voter signatures to get on the ballot again.
The 2012 Personhood Amendment would add a new section to the state constitution to “affirm basic human dignity” and guarantee that the right to life “applies equally to all innocent persons” and “the intentional killing of any innocent person is prohibited.”
“Our language is very clear this time,” said Kristi Burton Brown, amendment co-author and Personhood Colorado founder. “No one can doubt our intentions or the effects this time.”
The 2012 language states that only birth control, in-vitro fertilization and assisted reproduction “that kill a person” shall be affected by this amendment.
The term “person,” the proposed amendment states, applies to “every human being regardless of the method of creation” and a human being is “a member of the species homo sapiens at any stage of development.”
Spontaneous miscarriages and medical treatment for life-threatening physical conditions intended to preserve life would not be affected by the amendment, the much-longer 2012 measure reads.
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains said it will again work with its more than 90 coalition partners to educate Colorado voters about this initiative aimed at banning abortions in all circumstances.
“No innocent child created through rape or incest shall be killed for the crime of his or her father,” the proposed amendment states.
Colorado Democratic Party chairman Rick Palacio called the measure an attempt by Republicans to push “an extreme social agenda that Colorado voters have consistently and overwhelmingly rejected. Twice already, Coloradans have considered a so-called personhood amendment to the state constitution, and after learning about the dire consequences for women’s health, voters have said no by nearly 3-to-1 margins.”
Personhood USA legal analyst and amendment co-author Gualberto Garcia Jones said the group appreciates the support of any Republican leaders but is independent and nonpartisan.
Personhood USA is behind similar ballot measures in Oregon and Montana.
Official sponsors of the Colorado measure are Rosalinda Lozano, described as a committed Catholic who is working to open a women’s medical center, and Kevin Swanson, host of the daily show “Generations Radio” and executive director of Christian Home Educators of Colorado.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or [email protected]
Colorado group launches third try for personhood amendment - Denver Post
http://www.denverpost.com/commented/ci_19384073?source=commented-
A Colorado group unveiled a revised personhood amendment for the 2012 ballot at a noon news conference today on the steps of the Capitol.
Denver-based Personhood USA proposes adding a new section to the Colorado Constitution that would guarantee the right to life “applies equally to all innocent persons” and that “the intentional killing of any innocent person is prohibited.”
Two previous attempts by personhood supporters to amend the Constitution in 2008 and 2010 failed, and proponents would need about 79,000 valid signatures on a petition to make this third try in 2012.
The amendment language states that only birth control, in vitro fertilization and assisted reproduction “that kills a person” shall be affected by this amendment.
The term “person,” the proposed amendment states, applies to “every human being regardless of the method of creation” and a human being is “a member of the species homo sapiens at any stage of development.”
Spontaneous miscarriages and medical treatment for life-threatening physical conditions intended to preserve life would not be affected by the amendment, the much-longer measure reads.
Personhood USA also will be pushing this new language on ballot measures in Oregon and Montana.
Official sponsors of the Colorado measure are Rosalinda Lozano and Kevin Swanson.
Electa Draper: 303-954-1276 or [email protected]
Personhood backers hope third time's the charm - Fox 31 Denver
http://www.kdvr.com/news/politics/kdvr-personhood-backers-hope-third-tim…
DENVER — The Colorado group behind the twice-failed “Personhood Amendment” announced Monday that they’ll be trying again with a revised initiative on the 2012 ballot.
Earlier this month, voters in conservative Mississippi rejected a Personhood amendment almost identical to the one that Colorado voted down in 2008 and 2010.
Undaunted, Denver-based Personhood USA is introducing a new, revised amendment with tweaked language aimed at achieving the same result — a ban on abortion across the state.
“This is a movement, and even if we lose a campaign in Mississippi or wherever, we’re not going away,” said Gilberto Garcia Jones at a press conference on the west steps of the Capitol Monday. “We’re in it for the long haul.”
The revised amendment would add language to the Colorado Constitution guaranteeing the right to life “applies equally to all innocent persons” and that “the intentional killing of any innocent person is prohibited.”
Also under the new amendment, only birth control, in vitro fertilization and assisted reproduction “that kills a person” shall be affected by this amendment.
Spontaneous miscarriages and medical treatment during life-threatening situations would not be affected; however, there would be no exceptions for abortions after cases of rape or incest.
“Children conceived in rape will be safe in Colorado,” Garcia Jones said. “We’re not backing off on that one.”Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Monica McCafferty took issue with Personhood USA’s contention that they’ve twice failed mostly because voters didn’t know what they were voting on — and that the revised language will make a difference.
“That’s insulting to say that Colorado voters didn’t know exactly what this is about. They did” McCafferty said. “This is extreme. This is another anti-woman, anti-family, anti-abortion measure. We’ve seen it before.”
Personhood’s reemergence during a major presidential election year could also be a boon for Democrats as they look to adopt Sen. Michael Bennet’s successful 2010 strategy — targeting moderate, suburban women voters — in an effort to help Obama win this most crucial swing state.
On Monday, Colorado Democratic Party Chairman Rick Palacio wasted little time issuing a press release highlighting the stance of the likeliest GOP presidential nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, who expressed support for the measure when it was on the ballot this year in Mississippi.
“Mitt Romney and his fellow Republican Presidential candidates should know by now that pandering to the extremists in their Tea Party base doesn’t appeal to the average Coloradan,” Palacio said.
“And after the latest version of Romney said he ‘absolutely’ supports the radical efforts of Personhood USA and other extreme groups, he will have a lot to explain to Colorado voters. Then again, we should probably expect yet another Romney flip-flop.”
Personhood USA, Colorado-Based Anti-Choice Group, Announces 3rd Try At Colo. Personhood Amendment - Huffington Post
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/21/personhood-usa-colorado-b_n_110…
Personhood USA, the Colorado-based pro-life organization behind the recent failed “personhood” initiative that was struck down by more than 55 percent of voters in Mississippi, is holding a press conference on the Denver Capitol building’s steps Monday announcing a renewed push for a personhood amendment in Colorado.
(SCROLL DOWN FOR TEXT FROM THE NEW PERSONHOOD AMENDMENT)
According to a Personhood USA press release, Personhood USA and Personhood Colorado will gather at the West steps of the Capitol building at 11 a.m. and reveal their plans for a 2012 personhood amendment that Gualberto Garcia Jones, founding member of Personhood Colorado, says “will be unlike any other.”
Jennifer Mason, spokeswoman for Personhood USA, told The Denver Post that the new version of the measure “will explain again that every human being is a person from their earliest moments. And it will include some extra information that will hopefully prohibit lies of our opponents.”
“It’s not because people are not pro-life,” Kieth Mason, a co-founder of Personhood USA said to HuffPost, “It’s because Planned Parenthood put out a lot of misconceptions and lies in front of folks and created a lot of confusion.” Personhood USA blames pro-choice group Planned Parenthood for the Mississippi loss.
After the loss in Mississippi, Planned Parenthood said that they were against the extreme measure because it limited the way families can plan for pregnancies and in vitro fertilization.
This is not the first time Personhood USA has pushed for an amendment in Colorado — In 2010, they pushed for Colorado’s Amendment 62 which voters overwhelmingly rejected. Earlier in 2008, Colorado voters also rejected a similar measure.
Personhood USA states on its website that it “serves the pro-life community by assisting local groups to initiate citizen, legislative, and political action focusing on the ultimate goal of the pro-life movement: personhood rights for all innocent humans” and describes itself as a “Christian ministry that welcomes those who believe in the God-given right to life.”
UPDATE:
Parenthood USA announced their new personhood amendment plans in Colorado today on the steps of the Capitol. This will be the third try for passage of a personhood amendment in Colorado. This latest version will state that only birth control, in vitro fertilization and assisted reproduction “that kills a person” will be affected by this proposed amendment, The Denver Post reports.
The amendment defines “person” as “every human being regardless of the method of creation.” It also defines “human being” as “a member of the species homo sapiens at any stage of development.” The new amendment language was written by Gualberto Garcia Jones, a legal analyst for and founding member of Parenthood Colorado.
7News reports that Parenthood USA will push for amendments in Colorado, Montana and Oregon, next year.
According to a Parenthood USA press release, the new Personhood Amendment will also include the following language:
(a) “PERSON” APPLIES TO EVERY HUMAN BEING REGARDLESS OF THE METHOD OF CREATION. (b) A “HUMAN BEING” IS A MEMBER OF THE SPECIES HOMO SAPIENS AT ANY STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT. The new Personhood Amendment language also details effects of the amendment. After the amendment is submitted to the Secretary of State’s office today, the sponsors will wait to receive approval from the Secretary of State before beginning the petition process. “Personhood USA is headquartered in Denver, and as a Colorado native, I am happy to be supporting another personhood amendment that will protect every child, no matter their age, race, gender, location, or size,” explained Keith Mason, President of Personhood USA. “In past elections Planned Parenthood, which is the largest and wealthiest abortion provider in the United States, attacked our amendments with lies and scare tactics. The new personhood language prevents those falsehoods by making it absolutely clear what the amendment can and cannot do – while still protecting every child from his or her earliest stages.”Colorado Citizens Announce Third Try for Personhood
Denver, CO – 11/21/11 - Inspired by Mississippi’s heroic efforts for Amendment 26, Colorado citizens have rallied behind the third attempt at a Personhood Amendment in Colorado.
Today, Personhood Colorado has filed language for a new personhood amendment with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office, sponsored by Kevin Swanson and Rosalinda Lozano.
Rosalinda Lozano is a Denver resident, native Coloradan, and committed member of the Catholic Church. Along with a history of volunteering for previous personhood amendments and various prolife efforts, Rosalinda is sponsoring the Colorado Personhood amendment at the same time that she is working to open Lighthouse, a Medical Center dedicated to helping women and presenting alternatives to women in crisis pregnancies. Lighthouse is set to open in early 2012 near Planned Parenthood in Denver, which is the second-largest abortion facility in the nation.
Sponsor Kevin Swanson hosts the daily radio program, “Generations Radio”, which is the world’s largest homeschooling and Biblical worldview program. Kevin is the father of 5 children, the Executive Director of Christian Home Educators of Colorado, and committed to seeing that every child is protected from abortion in Colorado.
The Colorado Personhood Amendment marks a departure from traditional, one-sentence personhood amendments, which have been among the shortest ballot initiatives in the United States. The new amendment was written by Gualberto Garcia Jones, legal analyst for Personhood USA and a founding member of Personhood Colorado, and Kristi Brown (nèe Burton), sponsor of the 2008 Personhood amendment.
The language of the new Personhood amendment includes the following definitions:
(a) “PERSON” APPLIES TO EVERY HUMAN BEING REGARDLESS OF THE METHOD OF CREATION.
(b) A “HUMAN BEING” IS A MEMBER OF THE SPECIES HOMO SAPIENS AT ANY STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT.
The new Personhood Amendment language also details effects of the amendment. After the amendment is submitted to the Secretary of State’s office today, the sponsors will wait to receive approval from the Secretary of State before beginning the petition process.
“Personhood USA is headquartered in Denver, and as a Colorado native, I am happy to be supporting another personhood amendment that will protect every child, no matter their age, race, gender, location, or size,” explained Keith Mason, President of Personhood USA. “In past elections Planned Parenthood, which is the largest and wealthiest abortion provider in the United States, attacked our amendments with lies and scare tactics. The new personhood language prevents those falsehoods by making it absolutely clear what the amendment can and cannot do – while still protecting every child from his or her earliest stages.”
Press Conference to Announce Round 3 of Colorado Personhood Initiative for 2012
On Monday, November 21, Personhood Colorado and Personhood USA will release details of their plans for a 2012 Personhood Amendment. New sponsors and new personhood language – the first of its kind in the United States – will be revealed in a press conference on the Capitol Steps.
Following the Mississippi defeat, the leadership of Personhood USA and Personhood Colorado will unveil a new game plan for the Colorado Personhood Amendment.
“This new Personhood Amendment will be unlike any other,” explained Gualberto GarciaJones, legal analyst for Personhood USA and founding member of Personhood Colorado. “Between 2008 and 2010, we saw a tremendous increase – 51,000 additional people voted for life. In 2012, we expect to continue this trend – new language and sponsors will continue to increase the odds in our favor.”
What: Personhood USA and Personhood Colorado announce plans for 2012 personhood initiative.
Where: West Steps of the Denver Capitol
When: Monday, November 21st, at 11:00am.
Personhood USA is a grassroots, Christian organization founded to establish personhood efforts across America to create protections 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 preborn.
Personhood USA’s amendments recognize that every human being is a person, and every person has a right to life. Personhood amendments and bills protect every child, no matter their size or age.
New Report, New Website, and New Video! Personhood News of the Week
Report Recommends Free Abortion Inducing Drugs
A report filed this week by the Institute of Medicine recommends that the Federal Health and Human Services Department include contraceptives devices on the list of government mandated services available without a copay. The move would make hormonal birth control & morning after pills such as Plan B and Ella free under the new health care law.
According to LifeSiteNews.com, the report also suggested that surgical abortion should be covered by the mandate, but that it is “outside of the project’s scope given federal legal restrictions.” Contrastingly, the recognition of the personhood rights would provide for total protections from tax-funded abortion and abortifacient drugs.
US Conference of Catholic Bishops Spokeswoman Deirdre McQuade told Fox News that even with the abortion coverage restrictions in place “Ella, in particular, which was approved for emergency contraception can actually disrupt what the AMA calls an established pregnancy after implantation, which by anyone's definition, is an abortion.”
Health Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Planned Parenthood are cheering the report. Sebelius indicated that she was likely to make the recommendation--which would provide a new revenue source for Planned Parenthood—an official policy of the administration.
LifeGuard Petitions Public to End Abortionist's Privileges at Catholic Hospital
A pro-life pregnancy resource group has launched a new website to collect petition signatures in opposition to abortionist Richard Grossman’s privileges at Mercy Hospital. The petition cites the USCCB Directives for Catholic Health Care Services: "...Catholic health care institutions are not to provide abortion services, even based upon the principle of material cooperation. In this context, Catholic health care institutions need to be concerned about the danger of scandal in any association with abortion providers."
“There are no circumstances under which it is acceptable to murder a child, and no circumstances under which a Catholic hospital should collaborate with an abortionist,” stated Daniel Anguis of LifeGuard. “The scandal of Grossman's presence at Mercy has angered the local faithful Catholic and Christian community for years, and this petition allows us to peacefully and firmly demand that Grossman lose his privileges at Mercy Hospital."
To sign the petition, visit www.mercyprotest.com.
LifeGuard also announced a protest scheduled for August 4th featuring California Human Rights Amendment Sponsor Lila Rose. "If it infuriates you that a man who is so openly anti-Catholic both in actions, and in words, can make a living at an institution run by the Church then please sign the petition, forward it to your friends, and join us,” said Anguis.
Black Pro-life Leaders Release Video
A pro-life group--whose billboard message of “Black and Beautiful” recently attracted the ire of pro-abortion activist in the Oakland, California area--has published a startling new video which points out that Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry are the leading cause of death in the black community.
Released by the National Black Pro-life Coalition, the video titled “Number one killer” cites the fact that abortion far outweighs all other natural and unnatural causes of deaths.
“Pastors: Abortion is the #1 KILLER of Black-Americans, as revealed by CDC statistics. Yet, Pro-Abortion groups who fight to crush free speech celebrate this evil as ‘Reproductive Justice.’ In Oakland, California these groups failed to remove our Black & Beautiful billboards,” said Personhood USA spokesperson and Issues4Life President Walter Hoye. “This new video is part of a project to reveal the truth. Brothers, we need to talk.”
LifeSiteNews.com calls it a “Powerful 1 min. video” here.
Attorney Rebecca Kiessling Responds to MSNBC's Rachel Maddow
Tonight, Rachel Maddow went on a rant against my recent “Conceived in Rape Tour” for Personhood Mississippi. Once again, she ignorantly referred to children like me as being “the rapist’s child.” First of all, I am not the rapist’s child! He doesn’t even know of my existence, as in most rape cases. And what an insult to the majority of rape victims who not only choose life for their child, but choose to raise their child — after everything they’ve been through, Maddow has the audacity to refer to the rape victim’s child as being “the rapist’s child”?! She does not speak for the majority of rape victims who express that their child has brought them healing, helping them to overcome the rape. The ones who abort are four times more likely to die within the next year. If you truly have compassion for a rape victim, you’d want to protect her from the abortion and not the baby! A baby is not the worst thing that could ever happen to a rape victim — an abortion is. To be pro-woman is to recognize that women are much stronger than they are given credit for, and to understand that a baby is not the scary enemy. No woman has to be afraid of a baby!
Rachel Maddow is the one who is extreme because she’s against the death penalty for rapists, but supports the death penalty for the innocent child who happened to be conceived in rape. She’d have no problem telling another living human being that they are garbage, that they don’t deserve to be living and that they weren’t worthy of being protected. That’s extreme! However, I did not miss the fact that she failed to mention that the “Conceived in Rape” tour involved a real human being — and I’m a woman no less! No, instead Maddow had to continue to de-humanize the enemy, making it easier for us to be targeted and killed. The fact is, my story and the dozens of other life-affirming stories on my website of others conceived in rape and/or incest and women who became pregnant by rape do help to put faces, voices, and stories to this issue, and they are effective.
My birthmother did not choose life for me. She chose abortion. But pro-life advocates in Michigan chose life for me by making sure abortion was illegal in Michigan, even in cases of rape. They are my heroes and I owe my life to them! I’m not some elitist person who thinks that the world could not exist without her, but my life was spared for a purpose. How selfish it would be to say, “Oh well, at least my life was spared. I deserved it!” And millions of others didn’t? My near-death experience is very real. I feel like I was saved from a burning building and as I have the opportunity to go back and save others, I most certainly will.
Despite wanting to abort me more than 4 decades ago, my birthmother is proud of me today, has shared her story alongside me, and is so thankful we were both protected from the abortion. I honor her and I bring her healing, which is why she and her husband legally adopted me last fall, 22 years from the day we met. But Rachel Maddow doesn’t have the heart to understand something so wonderful. She only pretends to care about women.
— Rebecca Kiessling
Pro-life Speaker, Attorney
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