Florida groups are spending time and money trying to get the abortion amendment to voters.

At Sunday Masses across Florida, Catholic priests have taken some time this election season to step away from their typical sermons and try to persuade parishioners to vote against the Fourth Amendment.

The Rev. Rafal Ligenza recently spoke to parishioners about the abortion amendment at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Bradenton.

“Even if you believe that abortion is acceptable in some circumstances, do not be fooled into voting for the amendment by such misleading language,” Ligenza said.

In this election, Florida voters will decide whether to repeal abortion restrictions passed by the Legislature this year. IInstead, enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

The Rev. Tom Carzon recently addressed this topic at San Pedro Catholic Church in North Port.

“So, is it difficult to talk about this? Yes, but that’s also our mission,” Carzon said.

The Catholic Church is calling on priests like Carson to speak to Florida’s estimated 2 million Catholics about what the church considers a spiritual duty to protect life from conception to natural death.

Bishop Frank DeWane’s video demonstrates the church’s strong opposition to the Fourth Amendment. Dewayne heads the Diocese of Venice, which governs Catholic churches in southwest Florida. The video was shown during masses and posted on social media.

“Some say the church has no place in politics. It is true that the church will never propose a specific candidate, but in this election year it is very important to remember that shaping the moral character of society is the responsibility of people of faith,” Dewayne says in the video.

But the diocese knows that this will not be an easy victory. Despite the church’s opposition to abortion, she knows that the views of adult Catholics are in line with the views of most Americans. Six in 10 U.S. Catholics believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, according to Pew Research.

But the church believes most people want some restrictions on abortion. Thus, advertising and campaign language against Amendment 4 warn that the amendment does not define terms such as “viability” and that, according to the church, it will lead to few rules about when the procedure can be performed – with which Many legal experts agree.

“This amendment is not a good answer, no matter what position anyone takes on the issue of abortion,” Carzon said. “We are talking about an amendment that is extreme and misleading.”

Other church denominations united against this measure. Groups opposing the measure received support from Gov. Ron DeSantis and other allies through conference calls that provided strategy and talking points.

Both sides of this debate are passionate about their cause and back their beliefs with money.

Groups for and against the amendment have spent more than $100 million on their campaigns this election season.

However, Amendment 4 supporters significantly outspent their opponents in campaign spending, allowing them to buy more advertising and mount a larger media campaign.

One media campaign trying to influence voters is a video series featuring Kathy Mayo, president of the Lee County chapter of the National Organization for Women.

Mayo is shown in a video conversation with her daughter Juliana. The series highlights the reasons why people campaign for women’s rights, including Amendment 4. Mayo recounts how a gang rape when she was 20 ultimately inspired her to become more involved in issues such as reproductive rights.

“So we wanted to show that this is not just one generation. Many generations have been concerned about what’s happening in our country, threats to democracy and threats to women’s rights,” says Mayo.

In the video, Mayo’s daughter talks about having an abortion at age 30 and worries that women won’t be able to get the access she had.

“It’s really scary. It’s really scary to think that all this could go away. Needed an abortion and received help through Planned Parenthood. I just wouldn’t want anyone to be forced to have a child,” Juliana Mayo said.

But Democrats know that to pass the amendment, they will have to split the ticket in a state that has voted reliably for Republicans in several election cycles, a party that traditionally supports abortion restrictions.

The Mayo group regularly joins dozens of other groups at events, trying to win over one person at a time. They hope outreach efforts like the recent one aimed at students at Florida Southwestern State College in Fort Myers will attract voters who may not know how abortion rights have recently changed across the state.

Copyright 2024 ZGKU