Catholic organizations are putting hundreds of thousands of dollars into fighting a Florida ballot initiative that would protect abortion rights, inserting the church into one of the most hotly contested and controversial issues in this year’s elections. The Catholic Church has done the same in other states that have voted on abortion measures, and its influence could loom large as voters head to the polls in November with about one-in-five Floridians identifying as Catholic. Catholic groups have donated about $234,000 to Florida Voters Against Extremism , a political action committee opposing the measure known as Amendment 4, and are urging their parishioners to reject the proposal.
Their contributions are dwarfed, however, by the amount raised by supporters of the amendment, who want to overturn Florida’s current six-week ban on most abortions . The Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops, the church’s lobbying arm, is supporting the anti-abortion campaign, bot h financially and practically . It’s offered free political consulting services valued at nearly $108,000 to the campaign and used its website to share anti-abortion resources with parishes .
The Bishops have distributed cards that include a “prayer to defeat Florida’s abortion amendment.” In Orlando, the Cathedral of St. James’s July 14 bulletin featured the conference’s message in English and Spanish urging worshippers to vote no on Amendment 4 and calling it “dangerous” and “misleading.
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