HLA Coalition

"In keeping with my consistent support for life, I believe in the 'one exception' clause for the life of the mother and I support the Georgia Personhood Amendment. I also support, and have consistently done so, the Human Life Amendment to the United States Constitution".

~Mike Huckabee
2008 Presindential Candidate
www.mikehuckabee.com 

"The Human Life Amendment provides Georgia with the best legal means of overturning the central holding of Roe v Wade. At the very least, it ensures that Georgia immediately becomes a pro-life state the moment the shackles of Roe are broken. For too long the pro-life movement has been dominated by a strategy of “wait”-- too fearful of losing to risk winning. The adoption of this amendment will place Georgia at the forefront of the battle to restore the sanctity of innocent human life. I applaud Georgia’s pro-life citizens and their elected representatives for having the courage of their convictions."

~ Richard Thompson
President & Chief Counsel
Thomas More Law Center

"There is nothing in the decisions of the Supreme Court of the United States which conclusively forbids Georgia to define and protect the rights of the unborn child beyond the extent to which those rights are recognized and protected under the United States Constitution. H. R. 536, therefore, cannot be dismissed as a futile exercise. Rather, in my opinion, it is an affirmation not only of the rights of the unborn child under Georgia law but also of the reserved power of the State of Georgia to define, as a matter of state law, the meaning and scope of the Georgia Constitution. It is an affirmation of the federalism embodied in the general structure of the United States Constitution as well as in the Tenth Amendment.

You and the members of Georgia Right to Life deserve the appreciation of all supporters of the right to life for your forthright presentation of the simple truth of this issue. H.R. 536 is an important step forward in the effort to restore legal protection for the right to life of all human beings. And the time is right for such an initiative. The increased public concern about abortion, in light of advancing knowledge, makes this an appropriate time to present to the newly configured Supreme Court a clear and measured enactment, such as H.R. 536, to invite the Court to address the issue. There is nothing to lose and everything to gain by offering such a straightforward presentation of the issue for the consideration of the Supreme Court."

~ Charles E. Rice
Professor Emeritus of Law
University of Notre Dame

"I commend Georgia's legislators as they seek a constitutional amendment that not only establishes the 'personhood' of the fetus, but more importantly speaks to all areas of the sanctity of life cause. This vehicle could set the stage for the nationwide recognition of the unborn as legal "persons" deserving of constitutional protection and thereby provide a direct challenge to the central holding of Roe v. Wade."

~ Donald Wildmon
President & Founder
American Family Association

"The protection of innocent, unborn children is a high priority of mine and we must recognize that each child is a miracle of life. I commend Georgia Right to Life for fighting this critical battle on behalf of all Georgians."

~ GA Lt. Governor Casey Cagle

"When the Roe v. Wade decision was made in 1973, we were in technology's Dark Age compared to today. The technology of 2008 shows us unequivocally that there is life at conception and the proper function of government is to protect it."

~ U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (GA 1)

"Protecting the rights of the innocent is one of the most fundamental duties of any government. A respect for human life - from the moment of conception until natural death - lies at the heart of civilization. We should be judged as a society not by how we honor the mighty but by how we honor the meek. I fully support efforts on the state and national level to protect human life at all stages."

~ U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland (GA 3)

"As a pro-life OB-GYN physician, I have seen the sanctity and inherent dignity of human life that begins at conception. A compassionate society must value human life, especially the weakest and most defenseless among us."

~ U.S. Rep. Phil Gingrey (GA 11)

"Having practiced for almost 30 years as a pro-life OB-GYN, I am once again proud to be an original cosponsor of H.R. 618, the Right to Life Act in the 110th Congress. Now more than ever, we must all rally around this legislation and stand up in the fight to protect the sanctity of human life at every stage-especially life at its most vulnerable. With the new majority in Congress, we will undoubtedly face many more legislative challenges, but we must never give up defending those who cannot defend themselves."

~ U.S. Rep. Tom Price (GA 6)

"God will not and cannot bless America while we are killing 4,000 babies every day. We must legally define life and personhood beginning at fertilization. I applaud all efforts in doing so."

~ U.S. Rep. Paul Broun, Jr. MD (GA 10)

"If passed, HR 536 would throw a king-sized monkey wrench in the current abortion debate."

~ Former State Senator
The Honorable Perry McGuire, Esquire

"Georgia stands on the brink of being the first in the nation to recognize the personhood of the unborn. This is an exciting moment for our state! I encourage all Georgians to join in and support this important amendment."

~ Sadie Fields
State Chairman
Georgia Christian Alliance

"The Paramount Human Life Amendment acknowledges the fundamental truth that man is made in the likeness and image of God and that all life belongs to God. Any procedures designed to take life, such as abortion, euthanasia and assisted suicide, and any attempt to alter human life, such as may be accomplished through genetic engineering or artificial intelligence, are an affront to God's sovereignty. Our society must not regard human life as disposable or something to be altered, but something that is sacred and which ought to be celebrated, nurtured and protected from fertilization to natural death. By getting the PHLA on the ballot in November of 2008 Georgia could become the nation's pacesetter in the fight for human dignity and the sanctity of life."

~ Dr. Gerald Harris
Editor of The Christian Index

"Georgia has the chance to affirm what the good people in our state believe by passing the Human Life Amendment. For the sake of babies of all color, we should make the passage of this amendment the top priority in churches and communities. If we talk about this, our legislature will pass it."

~ Tim Echols
Founder and CEO
TeenPact

"I strongly support a Human Life Amendment. All of our rights and liberties are illusory and meaningless if the right to life is not secure. The Declaration of Independence, which Thomas Jefferson called a “reflection of the American mind,” declares that it is the duty of government to protect the right to life, a right which the Founders considered to be inalienable."

~ Mathew D. Staver
Founder and Chairman, Liberty Counsel
Dean and Professor of Law, Liberty University School of Law

"The human dignity question is central. Human dignity is indivisible; any assault on anyone's dignity around the world is an assault upon mine. These are assumptions which most of us share and hold very dear. The essence of human dignity lies in our being persons, not things."

~ Nigel Cameron
Dean of Charles Colson's Wilberforce Forum in an interview on PBS Frontline

"GOD has put in place the leaders both inside and outside the Gold Dome to restore respect for all life - we cannot lose the momentum that has been achieved in Georgia."

~ Jim Beck
Director
Georgia Christian Coalition

"The Human Life Amendment is a strategic, bold, and aggressive move to establish the sanctity of human life in Georgia and initiate a nationwide march toward the right to life for all innocent Americans. Thomas Jefferson said, 'The care of human life and not its destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government.'"

~ Jenny Hodges
National Director
ProlifeUnity.com

"Thank you for the opportunity to review the proposed Human Life Amendment. As a result of an overview of the language proposed by the Thomas More Law Center, it can be concluded that everything appears to be well formulated."

~ Jonathan Scruggs
Litigation Counsel
Alliance Defense Fund

 

Quotes from the Other Side

"If it passes, Georgia's "personhood amendment" could provide anti-choice advocates legal language that could ultimately make abortion at any gestational age tantamount to murder..."

~ Kay Scott
President
Planned Parenthood of Georgia

"I think it raises a lot of questions that will garner more opposition."

~ Leola Reis
Spokeswoman
Planned Parenthood of Georgia

"They do have the votes to vote anti-choice legislation into place. They have the votes to do what they want."

~ Paris Hatcher
Co-Executive Director
Georgians for Choice

But the movement has hit a political snag in some states, where abortion-rights activists have taken an interest in the issue because they say the laws could be hijacked by anti-abortion forces to establish so-called fetal personhood and erode a woman's right to abortion. Doctors and public health officials also have expressed concern that the official documents could complicate states' collection of vital statistics on births and fetal and infant deaths.

"By giving parents a birth certificate for stillborn babies, you're changing the definition of a stillbirth and potentially recognizing the personhood of the fetus," said Charlotte Newhart of the California National Association for Women (NOW)."

~ Excerpt from "Stillborn Laws Entagled in Abortion Debate," Kansas City infoZine News