In the wake of the resounding defeat of a personhood amendment in Mississippi, Personhood USA is now setting its sights on Florida. Earlier today, Personhood FL announced it will be collecting signatures with a view toward placing the amendment on the ballot in 2014.
Because of a bill passed by the FL Legislature this year that changed the shelf life of the petition signatures from 4 years to 2 years, we are launching a new two year petitioning effort beginning January 2012. We have taken this opportunity to launch the new Florida ProLife Personhood Amendment based on language endorsed by Family Research Council and the American Family Association. The new petition language has been designed by a think tank of prolife personhood attorneys and satisfies 11 conditions needed to unite pro-life ministries. Adapting this language enables all states to come into unity anticipating and facilitating a federal prolife personhood amendment.
The ballot language seems innocuous enough. It would amend the constitution to state that "the word 'person' applies to all human beings, irrespective of age, race, sex, health, function, or condition of dependency." A pretty transparent attempt to rope in support from minorities.
About the only person this proposed amendment would help is Rick Scott. For those who don't know, PPP shows Scott is in Bush territory, and would get his head handed to him by Alex Sink in a rematch.
You can't fault Personhood USA for persistence. But if this amendment failed in blood-red Mississippi, do they seriously think it'll work in bluish-red Florida? That doesn't mean we can't start pushing now to keep this monstrosity from passing, though.