Contact: Keith Ashley, Personhood USA, 205-595-3500; Personhood Mississippi

JACKSON, Miss., June 17, 2011 /Standard Newswire/ -- Accepting the endorsement of Mississippi Right to Life at a press conference Thursday afternoon, Republican candidate for Governor and current Lt. Governor, Phil Bryant, reiterated his support for the personhood ballot measure and encouraged citizens to work towards its passage.

"I also want to encourage everyone to support the Personhood Amendment that will be on the ballot in November. If successful on the ballot, the Personhood Amendment will be a turning point for protecting the unborn in Mississippi," said Bryant.

Titled Amendment 26, the Mississippi Personhood Amendment defines the words "person" and "persons," as used in the state constitution, to "include every human being from the moment of fertilization, cloning or the functional equivalent thereof."

An early endorsement from Bryant was instrumental in the success of the citizen-led initiative drive. In February of last year, Personhood Mississippi submitted over 130,000 signatures -- 40,000 more than required for ballot access.

Bryant's Republican primary opponent, Gulfport businessman Dave Dennis, responded in a statement -- utilizing the opportunity to similarly endorse the efforts of the Amendment 26 campaign.

"I believe as our Founding Fathers believed that we are endowed by our Creator 'with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,'" stated Dennis. "I am fully pro-life and oppose abortion. I favor the Personhood Initiative to put a strong pro-life issue on the ballot in November."

"We're grateful that Mississippians will choose between two men of such strong convictions this year," said Keith Mason, Co-founder of Personhood USA. "Bryant and Dennis get it. This is about affirming the most fundamental of all rights of people -- our very right to live."