Five states have life-related measures on the ballot this November 8, with pro-life groups being seriously outspent by abortion supporters.

Here’s a round-up of what’s happening in each of those states.

In California, Proposition 1 is a legislatively referred constitutional amendment that would make abortion legal, regardless of the age or viability of the preborn child.

As our allies at California Family Council (CFC) report, “Currently in California, abortion is legal only up to the point of viability, unless the mother’s life or health is endangered.”

But radical abortionists want more. “The Right to Reproductive Freedom Act” amends the state constitution to place no restrictions on abortion at all. It reads:

The state shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to choose to have an abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraceptives.

California Family Council president Jonathan Keller called the proposed amendment “extreme, even for a state like California. …Many people who identify as pro-choice still reject the idea of abortions ending the lives of viable children late in pregnancy.”

CFC says, “As Christians, we know that all human life is valuable and worthy of protection by our laws from conception through natural death. While many in our culture reject this biblical standard, polls indicate that most Californians want abortion limited at some point before birth.”

Ballotpedia reports that supporters, like Planned Parenthood, the California Federation of Teachers, the ACLU and the California Teachers Association have raised $3.1 million to influence voters.

As of August 31, one group was registered in opposition to the amendment, Women for Reproductive Facts – No on Prop 1, with no reported income or expenses.

Kentucky pro-life voters will be able to support Constitutional Amendment 2, the “Yes for Life Amendment. It would amend the Kentucky Constitution to state:

To protect human life, nothing in this Constitution shall be construed to secure or protect a right to abortion or require the funding of abortion.

As the Daily Citizen has reported, the “Yes for Life” Constitutional Amendment protects life, keeps state funds from paying for abortions, and prevents activist judges from finding a spurious “right” to abortion in the state’s constitution.

So far, supporters have raised $460,000 to influence Kentucky voters to vote “Yes for Life.” Radical abortion activist groups, like Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, have raised $1.75 million to oppose the amendment.

Yes for Life” is supported by the Family Foundation of Kentucky, a Focus on the Family-allied public policy organization. Executive Director David Walls told us,

“We must protect all human life because humans, born and preborn, are God’s masterpieces and have inherent worth. Recognizing that inherent dignity and equality, along with the inalienable rights of all humans, is the foundation of freedom and justice in our Commonwealth, nation, and world.”

Yes for Life Kentucky has created a free Advocacy Toolkit to help Christians answer questions about and engage in social media to support the amendment.

They’re also hosting a Celebration and Rally at the Kentucky Capitol, in Frankfort, on October 1. Confirmed speakers and entertainment include Dr. Al Mohler, the Most Reverend John Iffert, and the Jason Lovins Band.

In Michigan, Proposal 3, the Right to Reproductive Freedom Initiative would amend the state constitution to provide a “right to reproductive freedom.” This is defined as:

the right to make and effectuate decisions about all matters relating to pregnancy, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, sterilization, abortion care, miscarriage management, and infertility care.

State abortion policy in Michigan has been hotly contested since the reversal of Roe v. Wade, as the Daily Citizen has reported.  Current state law restricts abortion at the point of viability – the time in which a baby can live outside the mother’s womb.

This ballot initiative, if certified and approved by Michigan voters, would amend the state constitution to legally protect abortion access. It would also block the state’s 1931 pro-life law from going into effect and potentially invalidate existing laws that restrict abortion.

Abortion activists have raised more than $10.6 million to support Proposal 3, while pro-life groups have raised a little over $426,000 to oppose the constitutional amendment. Michigan Family Forum, a Focus on the Family ally, works in the state to promote life, family and traditional values.

Montana voters can protect life by supporting LR-131, which adopts the “Born-Alive Infant Protection Act.”

The state would be adopting an act passed by the legislature which states:

A born-alive infant, including an infant born in the course of an abortion, must be treated as a legal person under the laws of the state, with the same rights to medically appropriate and reasonable care and treatment.

The Born Alive Infant Protection Act requires health care providers to take necessary actions to preserve the life of a born-alive infant. It provides criminal penalties of fines “not to exceed $50,000,” and/or imprisonment “for a term not to exceed 20 years.”

The state measure is supported by pro-life groups like the Charlotte Lozier Institute and the Montana Family Foundation, a Focus on the Family-allied organization.

In Vermont, pro-life groups are fighting Proposal 5, an abortion constitutional amendment. It says:

That an individual’s right to personal reproductive autonomy is central to the liberty and dignity to determine one’s own life course and shall not be denied or infringed unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means.

The notoriously liberal Vermont legislature voted to place Proposal 5/Article 22 on the ballot, by a vote of 28 to 2 in the Senate and 106 to 38 in the House.

A coalition of pro-life groups oppose the measure, Vermont Family AllianceVermont Right to Life Committee and Vermonters for Good Government.

Vermont Family Alliance explains that the proposed amendment is vague, not even defining “personal reproductive autonomy.” In addition to obtaining abortions, minors would have access to contraception, hormone blockers, opposite sex hormones and “transgender” surgeries, without parental knowledge or consent.

Abortion supporters have raised $567,000 and opponents only $1,300, so far, reports Ballotpedia.

Given the human lives at stake, it’s vital for pro-life voters to work and vote against pro-abortion constitutional amendments and to support pro-life measures and candidates.

Related articles and resources:

Abortion Will be on the CA Ballot in November

California Family Council

The Family Foundation of Kentucky:

Michigan Family Forum

Montana Family Foundation

Pro-Life Groups Fight Vermont Abortion Constitutional Amendment – Here’s How You Can Help

Vermont Family Alliance.

Vermonters For Good Government

Vermont Right to Life Committee

 

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