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.
Passage of Amendment 3 would have contributed to the false impression that marijuana is safe. Use of recreational drugs inflicts harm on the individual user, as well as the family and society. Young people are especially susceptible to its adverse effects and negative impacts on brain function. We urge that increased educational efforts are undertaken to inform adults and youth alike about the harmful and dangerous effects of marijuana use.
The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FCCB) has implored Gov. Ron DeSantis to stay the execution of Loran Cole and commute his sentence to life without the possibility of parole. Cole is scheduled to be executed on August 29 for the 1994 murder of John Edwards. He was also convicted of robbing, kidnapping and assaulting Mr. Edwards’ sister.
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.
The bishops have released a statement encouraging Floridians to vote "no" on Amendment 3, to prevent increased addiction to marijuana and adverse health outcomes for our communities. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, people who use marijuana have almost a 10% likelihood of becoming addicted, with that risk increasing in people who use marijuana frequently or start using it during youth or adolescence.
The 10th National Eucharistic Congress is set to occur July 17-21 at the Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The four routes of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage will converge at their final destination after completing a two-month journey tracing the sign of the cross over the United Sates.
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 latest national and state-by-state Catholic school enrollment numbers are out – and they amplify the contrast between what’s happening in Florida and most of the rest of America. Nationally, Catholic school enrollment in PreK-12 held steady, according to the latest annual report from the National Catholic Educational Association, released Wednesday. In 2023-24, 1,693,327 students were enrolled in Catholic schools, virtually the same number as the prior year. In Florida, enrollment climbed to 90,785, up 5.2% from the prior year. Read more at nextstepsblog.org.
The Regular Session of the Florida Legislature came to a close (sine die) at 2:25 pm on Friday, March 8. The motion to adjourn sine die, Latin for 'without day,' is the last action of a session of the Florida legislature. End of week summaries for the 60-day session are available on our website, including the final summary.
Governor DeSantis vetoed HB 1 on Friday. The legislation prohibits anyone under the age of 16 from having accounts on social media platforms that meet certain criteria, including the use of addictive technologies. The bill also requires pornography websites to conduct age verification to ensure that users are at least 18 years old.
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.
On Tuesday, Tammy Fecci, associate for life and dignity, spoke on SB 1436 (Burton) before the Senate Fiscal Policy Committee. “At its core, SB 1436 would allow consumer finance loan companies to charge higher interest rates at the expense of struggling and already economically challenged Florida families and individuals.”
On Friday, the Florida House passed HB 1639 (Bankson) by a vote of 75-33. The bill requires that any health insurance policy that provides coverage for sex-reassignment related services also provides coverage for those seeking de-transition treatment.
On Thursday, the Florida House of Representatives passed (117-1) SB 7016, known as "Live Healthy" - a priority for Senate President Kathleen Passidomo (R-Naples). Since the Senate passed this bill unanimously (39-0) last month, the Legislature will now send it to Governor Ron DeSantis for his signature.
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.