Floridians Launch Citizen Initiative to Uphold the God Given Right to Life Without Exception
A coalition of pro-life, biblically based organizations has come together in Florida to launch a citizen’s initiative to amend the state constitution in order to recognize the God-given right to life and equal protection of all human beings, born and preborn.
Among the leaders of the effort are Personhood Florida, Abolish Abortion Florida, Florida Voice for the Unborn and Father Stephen Imbarrato.
Jay Rogers of Personhood Florida, told The American ProLifer that his organization has locked arms with several dozens of biblically based sanctity of life organizations and leaders to promote the Human Life Protection Amendment. You can read the actual text of the Amendment and connect with the organization by visiting their website: www.HumanLifeFL.com
When asked why pro-life Floridians should support a constitutional amendment, Jay explained that the dozens of state regulations of abortion passed during the Roe v. Wade years are now acting as legislative guarantees of abortion and that only a state constitutional amendment could nullify the 50 year legacy of Roe v. Wade in Florida law.
Currently, under Florida law there are dozens of state regulations allowing abortion. These are under Chapter 390 “Termination of Pregnancies.” These state statutes allow different types of abortion. The exceptions and regulations go on for pages and pages.
Prior to Roe v. Wade, the only exception for abortion in the state of Florida was a life-threatening situation for the mother. Ironically, if no compromised laws had been passed, under the recent Dobbs decision that overturned Roe, Florida could have quickly returned to being essentially an abortion-free state.
However, we can undo years of laws with exceptions with one amendment. The
Jay Rogers of Personhood Florida
collaborative language of our proposed amendment states that “all laws, judicial precedents, and acts contrary to this section shall be null, void, and deemed repealed to the extent of any conflict with this section.”
The effort faces difficult challenges, requiring almost a million registered voter’s support to put the amendment on the ballot. Once on the ballot, the amendment would require a 60% majority to pass.
Notwithstanding the high bar, the leaders of the effort are confident that reaching the goal is possible in Florida, and point to the high success rate of past constitutional amendments in Florida.
One positive statistic is that in the entire history of citizen initiatives in the state of Florida, the 44 initiatives that gained ballot access with a grassroots signature effort (those not placed on the ballot by the state legislature) have been well received by Florida voters. The success rate once on the ballot is 77 percent, with 34 of them having been approved to date. As we go out into the streets, we are stirring lively discussion, changing minds, and winning hearts. We have also seen many people choose life for their preborn children and profess Christ as their Lord and Savior. As we live out a faithful witness, we do not believe we can fail. Personhood Florida
Organizers of the amendment point to the need to change the terms of the debate around abortion, from one centering on a woman’s “right to choose” and opting for the regulation of abortion, to a bold recognition of the personhood of the preborn child.
At the heart of this effort, organizers say is the desire to be faithful to God. If we try, we trust that God will eventually provide the victory over the evil of abortion.
To get involved in this effort visit the amendment’s website: Human Life Protection Amendment
