With 10 states putting the abortion issue on the ballot and in voters hands this November, including Florida, Governor Ron DeSantis has proclaimed Sunday, October 6, 2024, as “Protect Life Sunday in Florida.” The proclamation expresses that “all lives, born and unborn, are a valuable gift from God and are worthy of our protection.”

Gov. DeSantis affixed the Great Seal of the State of Florida to the proclamation underscoring the importance protecting the most vulnerable members of society and to encourage people to promote life-affirming values across the state.

The proclamation reads:

“WHEREAS, for generations, we have set aside days for prayer and fasting to thank God for our many blessings and to ask for his favor on pivotal issues facing our country and state; and

WHEREAS, on this Protect Life Sunday, as we gather with one voice, we pray that Florida would continue to lead the way to protect, support, and value innocent life at all stages, especially the unborn.

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NOW, THERFORE, I, Ron DeSantis, Governor of the State of Florida, do hereby extend my support to all observing October 6, 2024, as Protect Life Sunday in Florida.”

The proclamation comes ahead of a crucial election cycle where voters in Florida, as well as voters in nine other states, will decide this November whether their states become pro-life or pro-death. Florida’s proposed Amendment 4, if passed by voters, would override Florida’s current six-week “heartbeat” law and the state’s requirement for a minor to have parental consent for an abortion. These current protections make Florida a strong pro-life state. However, Amendment 4’s extreme and deceptive language would allow abortion for any reason even up to birth. Not even health and safety regulations protecting women during an abortion would survive in the state.

Encouraging people to get involved protecting unborn life is Gov. DeSantis’ Faith and Community Initiative, which was launched in 2019 to support faith and community organizations that serve vulnerable Floridians.  The initiative has compiled some educational resources from the community that could be helpful for equipping people to make sound decisions at the ballot box in November. These resources include:

– Hear from Liberty Counsel Founder & Chairman Mat Staver about your rights as a faith and community leader to encourage your membership to register to vote and to discuss Amendment 4 which attempts to codify abortion in the state constitution up until birth for virtually any reason.

– Hear a helpful breakdown of the extreme and deceptive language of Florida’s abortion Amendment 4.

– The fact sheet explains what Amendment 4 actually says and can be downloaded in English and Spanish.

In the nine other states, proposed constitutional abortion amendments attempt to codify the right to abortion – the right to kill unborn babies – across these states in varying degrees. Most of them would allow abortion up until birth for virtually any reason, and some may also permit infanticide. Each of these amendments would likely strip away any current state laws and health regulations protecting unborn life and women.

These pro-abortion amendments are:

Arizona’s Proposition 139; Colorado’s Initiative 89; Maryland’s Question 1; Missouri’s Amendment 3; Montana’s CI-128 (Ballot Issue #14); Nebraska’s Initiative 439; Nevada’s Question 6; New York’s Proposal 1; and South Dakota’s Amendment G.

There is only one pro-life ballot measure in 2024. Notably, Nebraska is the first state to have two competing abortion amendments on the ballot. Nebraska’s pro-life amendment is Initiative 434. The measure would essentially enshrine a right to life for unborn children in the second and third trimesters except in cases of rape, incest or when the mother experiences a medical emergency. The measure would essentially codify in the state constitution Nebraska’s current 12-week abortion law.

Liberty Counsel Founder and Chairman Mat Staver stated, “Every unborn life is a human being from the moment of conception and has incalculable worth endowed by our Creator. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has set a great example in proclaiming the upcoming “Protect Life Sunday” as a day for Floridians to advocate for pro-life protections. Voters should understand that most of these abortion amendments are deceptive and misleading and will allow abortion up to birth for any reason. Unborn life must be protected at every stage and communities need to be proactive in defending the lives of precious unborn children.”