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."