In the United States, January 22 is designated as a Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. The day is to be observed in prayer for the full restoration of the legal guarantee of the right to life and of penance for violations to the dignity of the human person committed through acts of abortion.
We are profoundly relieved at the defeat of Florida’s pro-abortion Amendment 4. This is a positive outcome for Florida and all efforts to promote the flourishing of our state. Though Amendment 4 failed to reach the 60% threshold required to pass, a majority of Floridians voting in the general election supported it. While significant gains to protect women and preborn children in recent years will remain in place, abortion in Florida will continue at a very high rate under our current laws.
Sara Johnson, statewide grassroots director for Vote No on 4 Florida, and Michele Taylor, FCCB's associate director for communications, discuss deceptive and extreme Amendment 4. This amendment on Florida's general election ballot would allow late-term abortions and jeopardize health and safety protections for women and minors. It removes doctors from the abortion decision, includes a broad "health" loophole, and eliminates parental consent.
Yesterday, the Financial Impact Estimating Conference (FIEC) issued a revised Financial Impact Statement for Amendment 4. In Florida, each ballot initiative must include a Financial Impact Statement on the ballot that estimates the increase or decrease in any revenue or costs to state or local governments and the overall impact to the state budget of the proposed amendment.
On July 1, Vote No On 4 Florida formally launched its multilingual campaign to defeat Amendment 4 on the upcoming November ballot with the unveiling of new websites in both English and Spanish and the rollout of its first campaign video. Entitled “Not What it Seems,” the video exposes the deceptive nature and extreme ramifications of Amendment 4.
Today, Vote No On 4 Florida formally launched its multilingual campaign to defeat Amendment 4 on the upcoming November ballot with the unveiling of new websites in both English and Spanish and the rollout of its first campaign video entitled “Not What it Seems” which exposes the deceptive nature and extreme ramifications of Amendment 4. The 2-minute video reveals that while other amendments provide clear definitions, the 34-word Amendment 4 fails to define any of its terms, including crucial words like "viability," “healthcare provider,” and "patient's health," leaving voters in the dark about its true impact.
Florida Amendment 4, which will appear on Florida’s November 2024 ballot, is an extreme proposal that legalizes full-term abortion with no protections for the preborn child, including when the child is capable of feeling pain. This proposed amendment to our state constitution would prohibit all restrictions on abortion before viability and create a broad exception that any healthcare provider could exploit to allow abortion up to birth.
The Florida Supreme Court ruled yesterday on a case brought by several pro-abortion groups challenging the constitutionality of Florida's 15-week abortion limit. A restriction on abortions after 15-weeks gestation was passed by the Florida Legislature and signed into law by Governor DeSantis in April 2022.
Today the Florida Supreme Court ruled to allow placement of the “Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion” on the November 2024 ballot, which will appear as Amendment 4. Prior to ballot placement, Florida’s Supreme Court reviews the language of constitutional amendments proposed by initiative to determine whether it is clear and unambiguous and covers only a single subject.
The effort to pass legislation that would allow parents to pursue civil action for the wrongful death of their unborn child was called off on Monday in the midst of nationwide controversy following the Alabama Supreme Court ruling that defined embryos created through in vitro fertilization (IVF) as children under Alabama state law.
HB 651 was approved by the House Judiciary Committee on Wednesday by a 15-7 vote, its final committee of reference. The bill would allow parents to file a lawsuit under Florida's wrongful death statute with the purpose of recovering damages for the wrongful or negligent death of their unborn child.
A grassroots team has come together to stop the extreme abortion amendment pushing for placement on the 2024 ballot. The initiative campaign for the deceptively-titled "Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion" has collected enough petitions to qualify for the ballot, and Florida's Supreme Court heard oral arguments on February 7 to determine whether the language of the proposed amendment is clear and covers only a single subject.
SB 476 (Grall) was approved by the Senate Fiscal Policy committee on Thursday by a 10-6 vote. FCCB indicated its support for the bill, which would allow parents to file a lawsuit under Florida's wrongful death statute with the purpose of recovering damages for the wrongful death of their unborn child
Florida’s Wrongful Death Act has held that someone whose action causes the death of an unborn child is not civilly liable to the surviving parents for damages. HB 651 sponsored by Representative Jenna Persons-Mulicka (R-Fort Myers) would expand Florida’s Wrongful Death Act to allow parents of an unborn child to recover civil damages for such unborn child’s death in the same way that other survivors may generally receive compensation from individuals or entities party to a suit.
The political committee behind a proposed constitutional amendment that would legalize abortion up until birth in Florida has surpassed the petition signature requirement for placement on the November 2024 ballot. For ballot placement to be confirmed, the amendment language must be reviewed by the Florida Supreme Court to ensure it is clear and limited to a single subject.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops recognizes the Day of Prayer for the Legal Protection of Unborn Children. While the January 22, 1973, Roe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion was overturned on June 24, 2022, by the Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, many state and federal laws still threaten the lives of unborn children.
The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops has filed a legal brief with the Florida Supreme Court opposing a ballot initiative that seeks to enshrine unfettered abortion access into the state constitution.
An extremely grave initiative is underway in Florida that seeks to erase pro-life protections by banning government regulation of abortion in our state constitution. A network of abortion activists is working to gather petition signatures to have a pro-abortion constitutional amendment, titled Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion, placed on the statewide ballot in the November 2024 election. In order to do so, they need nearly 900,000 signatures and are working right now in communities across Florida to collect them.
On September 8, 2023, the Florida Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in a case brought by several pro-abortion groups challenging the constitutionality of Florida's 15-week abortion ban. A restriction on abortions after 15-weeks gestation was passed by the Florida legislature and signed into law by Governor DeSantis in April 2022. Join us in prayer from August 31 - September 8.
Today, the Florida legislature passed a prohibition on abortion in Florida after six-weeks gestation. The bill, SB 300, also contains provisions providing pregnancy and parenting support. Christie Arnold, associate for social concerns and respect life for the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) issued the following statement: “With the passage of the Heartbeat Protection Act, life is better respected and protected in the early stages of development."