Nevada Launches Personhood Initiative

'In the great state of Nevada, the term 'person' applies to every human being. No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property'

CARSON CITY, Nevada (LifeSiteNews.com) - Another personhood amendment initiative entered the signature-gathering stage on Wednesday after being filed by a pro-life coalition in Nevada.

The proposed amendment would change the Nevada constitution to read: "In the great state of Nevada, the term 'person' applies to every human being. Article I Section 8 of the Nevada constitution states, 'No person shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law.'"

Richard Ziser, a former Republican U.S. Senate candidate and campaign manager of Personhood Nevada, is heading up the campaign behind Nevada's Personhood Constitutional Amendment. In 2002, Ziser helped organize the thrust behind a successful constitutional amendment enshrining marriage as between a man and a woman.

"While the state has no authority to grant inalienable rights, it has the obligation to protect them," stated Ziser in a press release issued Thursday. "With an ever more oppressive federal government lacking leadership in protecting the weakest and most vulnerable in our midst, the people of Nevada are taking necessary action to correct this injustice. This amendment addresses the most important civil right, the right to live, without which all other civil rights are rendered irrelevant."

"This amendment benefits all Nevadans by guaranteeing, as envisioned by our founding fathers, that no one shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without due process of law," said Personhood Nevada board member Anna Serra-Radford.

As a citizen-led initiative, approximately 97,000 signatures are necessary for the proposed amendment to be placed on the 2010 statewide ballot.

Montana pro-life advocates launched their own personhood campaign earlier this month, just before 22 Michigan state legislators introduced a bill to the same effect this week.

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