Personhood Kansas Launches Campaign to Amend Constitution, Recognize Human Rights

A new Kansas pro-life organization, Personhood Kansas, is seeking to partner with Christian and pro-life leaders, activists, and volunteers to form a statewide, grassroots coalition. The group was created for a single purpose—to conduct a campaign which results in the amending of the Kansas Constitution so that every child of God is protected by love and by law.

Similar groups have sprung up in several states after a ballot measure to amend Colorado’s constitution was defeated on Election Day 2008. “The effectiveness of the personhood coalition in Colorado has really been the inspiration. They were the first to demonstrate how close we are to recognizing the personhood of the preborn,” said Keith Ashley, Personhood Kansas Petition Drive Coordinator.

Personhood Kansas has advised the drafting of language that would recognize the right to personhood for all human beings from the biological beginning of human development. “Basic biology explains that human life begins at the moment of fertilization. This is the moment when we are no longer talking about functional parts of a woman and a man, but rather, we see a complete, genetically unique, living human being. Just like injustices in the past that relied on the ‘not all human beings are persons’ argument because of our differences such as race or gender, so too, denying the preborn full human personhood is discrimination based on an equally arbitrary human property--age,” explains Ashley.

The organization has started a statewide petition drive with the intent to deliver the responses to the state legislature. “A two-thirds majority of both legislative houses is needed to pass the amendment and that can be a rather challenging endeavor, so it is of the utmost importance that Kansans voice their desire to see this measure passed,” said Ashley.

The amendment process will then call for a referendum which will give Kansans an opportunity to vote the measure into law. “An advantage of a constitutional amendment is that it will be the supreme law of the state. But equally as advantageous is that the process will skip the proabortion Governor’s desk altogether and go directly to the people,” Ashley continues.

Personhood Kansas is calling on all Christian and pro-life leaders to get involved by announcing the petition drive and collecting signatures from their churches, parishes, organizations, and events, and by networking with leaders throughout the state. Future plans include a mass emailing and calling campaign, but the group is not advising citizens to wait for instructions. Rather, they are encouraging citizens to start contacting their legislators immediately to voice their support for human personhood in Kansas.