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'No' on 4

September 15, 2024

FROM THE ELDERS OF METRO LIFE CHURCH

Our moral responsibility is to equip our church to vote 'NO' on the proposed 2024 Florida Constitutional Ballot Initiative, 'Amendment 4.' God's word and our statements of faith support this long-held belief for us.

As a church, we affirm that life is a gift from God, our creator. We are interested in protecting life from the womb through eternity. We affirm that life begins at conception and should be protected with compassion, dignity, and great care.

Because life is a divine gift from God, we believe this to be an issue of morality that supplants today's politics. Abortion is not an issue of individuals, campaigns, or debate. Care for and dignity of life in the womb is the essence of what it means to be created beings with divine origin, crafted for a specific purpose.

To further train our church to engage with what we believe to be a consistent biblical worldview, we've included resources below from God's Word, our Affirmations of Faith, items related to current state law, considerations at the national level, and surrounding the deceptive language of the amendment initiative.

SUPPORTING RESOURCES

God’s Word

For Christians who follow a biblical worldview, the issue is clear.

Unborn children are living human beings. This should not be a controversial statement and is not even solely a biblical one. Science is clear that, at very moment of conception, a new human comes into being with its own unique DNA different than either of its parents. This confirms what the Bible says about personhood, discussing the lives of people before they are born (Jeremiah 1:5; Luke 1:41-44; Galatians 1:15) and setting punishments for causing harm to the unborn (Exodus 21:22-25). “My body, my choice” should be an argument against abortion; the child has his or her own body, and would certainly choose to live (Ephesians 5:29).
All people are created by God with great worth. We all bear the image of God (Genesis 1:27) and are created and known intimately by Him (Luke 12:6-7) even before we are born (Psalm 139:13-16). This is true regardless of our size or appearance (1 Samuel 16:7); our strength or weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9); or our abilities or disabilities (Exodus 4:11).
Killing innocent people is wrong. That is perhaps the most recognizable of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:13), and is especially emphasized when the victim is innocent (Exodus 23:7; Deuteronomy 27:25; Proverbs 6:16-19). Unborn children are the most vulnerable of all people. We should actively speak up for (Proverbs 31:8-9) and protect (Proverbs 24:11-12) the unborn.
Children are a blessing, not a curse. For many, the decision to have an abortion is made when the mother believes having her baby would come at too great a cost. Going through with the pregnancy may appear burdensome, frightening, or seemingly impossible. However, the Bible states that children are a blessing (Psalm 127:3-5), a source of joy (Psalm 113:9), and a gift from God (Genesis 33:5).
Rape is horrific and demands justice, but killing someone conceived in rape does not right that wrong. People often bring up cases of rape or incest as an argument for why abortion should be allowed. It’s important to note that such cases are the exception; only 1% of abortions are because of rape, and less than 0.5% are because of incest. Rape is a terrible sin that causes incredible psychological, emotional, and physical pain, and rapists should be punished (Deuteronomy 22:25-27). As incredibly hard as the situation would be for the mother, a child conceived in rape should not pay the price for the actions of the rapist. It is not fair or just for children to be put to death for the sins of their fathers (Deuteronomy 24:16).
People always have the “right to choose,” but you don’t get to choose the consequences. Except in cases of rape and incest, women and men freely choose whether or not they have sex. When you are sexually active, that choice can result in pregnancy. Even without abortion, women (and men) still have full freedom of choice and control over their own bodies; they can choose whether or not to do the one thing that results in conception. Abortion is less about having a choice and more about trying to escape the reality of a choice you’ve already made. Although we always have freedom of choice, those choices have consequences (Deuteronomy 30:19; Proverbs 14:12; 1 Corinthians 6:12-20; Galatians 6:7-8; Hebrews 12:11).
All laws tell us what we can or can’t do with our bodies. That’s really the point of laws; they govern what we can legally do. You cannot legally use your body to assault someone (Exodus 21:18-19), steal their possessions (Exodus 20:15), drive while intoxicated (Ephesians 5:18), lie under oath (Exodus 23:1), or a whole host of other actions. To suggest that our nation’s laws can’t or shouldn’t tell people what they can do with their bodies is to completely ignore the purpose of all laws.
Forgiveness is available in Christ. If you have had an abortion in the past, this is not meant to serve as a condemnation (Romans 8:1). We have all sinned (Romans 3:23), and in that respect no one is better than anyone else (Romans 3:9-12). God still loves you (Romans 5:8). We can all confess, be forgiven, and be healed (1 John 1:9; James 5:16).1
Natural Rights Bearers and endangerment of life. In the case of the unborn, there are two natural rights bearers: the mother and the unborn child. Both of them have a natural right to life, the right not to be unjustly harmed. Abortion is a clear harm to the unborn. So abortion on demand—to avoid inconvenience, embarrassment, or to remove an obstacle to a mother’s life plans—is unethical. Because both the mother and the unborn child have a natural right to life, abortion due to rape, incest, and fetal disability are also unethical. That is not to deny that in rape and incest a terrible injustice has occurred to the mother, but it is to recognize that abortion is a wrong way to right that injustice. It punishes the wrong person, the unborn child.2

Emergency room doctors in every state can always treat women who have ectopic pregnancies, miscarriages, and life-threatening conditions. - Erin Hawley

Our Statement of Faith

CREATION

We believe that God created all things visible and invisible for the manifestation of the glory of His eternal power, wisdom, and goodness. He created every molecule and galaxy. He created each species of life separately and finished His work by creating Adam from the dust and Eve from Adam. We believe that the universe has its beginning and end in God’s will. The universe is in no sense independent of Him and creation does not reflect a prior deficiency, but its formation and maintenance represent a continuing exertion of His creative power and ability. Both Adam and Eve were created equally in the image of God without sin. He endued them with knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, having God’s natural law of conscience written in their hearts and the power to fulfill that law. They lived with the possibility of transgressing since they were left to the liberty of their own will. The sacredness of human personality is evident in that God created man and woman in His own image and therefore every person of every race possesses full dignity and is worthy of respect and Christian love. (Genesis 1; 2:7; Ecclesiastes 7:24; 12:7; Job 26:13; 33:4; Psalm 24:1-2; 33:5-6; 104:24; Isaiah 55:10-11; Jeremiah 10:12; Matthew 10:28; John 1:1-3; Acts 7:24; Romans 1:20; 2:14-15; Ephesians 4:24; Colossians 1:16; 3:10; Hebrews 1:2; 11:3; Revelation 4:11.)

Our State Law

In the same day, the Florida Supreme Court handed down two vastly different opinions with life-or-death implications for the preborn. One decision affirmed that there is no right to abortion in the Florida Constitution and the other allowed an abortion amendment to move forward — which would permit virtually unfettered access to abortion — to appear on the Florida ballot.

Until then, Florida will be among the most pro-life states in the country with robust protections for the preborn after the Florida Supreme Court’s 6-1 ruling against Planned Parenthood. On April 1, the court overrode previous abortion opinions dating back to 1989 and upheld the 15-week abortion ban. Because of this, the six-week abortion ban, which corresponds with when a preborn baby’s heart begins beating, will soon be in effect.

But in November, all of this could be undone. While this ruling was a huge win for life in Florida, it could be overridden if Floridians vote to pass the abortion ballot measure the court also approved.3

We never give up. We always make the argument. But we should accept what’s possible in each context where we find ourselves.4

Considerations

US Constitution

“There is no way to read a so-called right to abortion in Florida’s Constitution any more than you could read it into the American, the U.S. Constitution.” - Dr. R. Albert Mohler Jr., president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Deceptive Language

“Of particular concern in the deceptive strategy to enshrine abortion through state ballot initiatives is that the language used often conceals the sweeping scope of the initiatives.” - Mat Staver, founder and chairman of Liberty Counsel.
“The problem with the amendment itself is that it’s inherently deceiving. The first part talks about the state regulating abortion after viability, but then the second sentence goes on to say that an abortion can be had for any health reason.” - John Stemberger, president of Liberty Council Action.

Our Recommendation

“No” on Amendment 4

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES ON AMENDMENT 4

Ballot Title: Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion

Ballot Summary: No law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. This amendment does not change the Legislature’s constitutional authority to require notification to a parent or guardian before a minor has an abortion.

Article and Section Being Created or Amended: Creates - Article 1, New Section

Full Text of the Proposed Amendment: New Section, Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion

Limiting government interference with abortion.— Except as provided in Article X, Section 22, no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion before viability or when necessary to protect the patient’s health, as determined by the patient’s healthcare provider. 5

Current Law: Abortion is banned after 15 weeks or pregnancy with no exceptions except to save the life of the mother. A six-week ban will go in effect May 1, 2024.

PRO-ABORTION Ballot Initiative: Florida Amendment 4: Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion

Constitutional Amendment to provide a constitutional right to abortion before fetal viability and dictate that no law shall prohibit, penalize, delay, or restrict abortion.
Citizen-initiated
891,523 signatures by February 1, 2024

Status: Signature goal met. Pending verification/certification

Legal Action: The Florida Supreme Court ruled 4-3 the proposed amendment can appear on the ballot.

Pathway to approval or rejection: Once on the ballot, a supermajority of 60 percent voting “yes” amends the Florida constitution. A simple majority voting “no” or less than 60 percent voting “yes” rejects the amendment. If approved, the state’s pro-life laws are unenforceable.6