Behind-the-scenes on Amendment 4

By Emily Chaffins -

MIAMI | Linda Freire is a witness to the physical, mental, and spiritual devastation that abortion causes. Freire went through an abortion in 2015. Now expecting a baby girl, she hopes her daughter will never experience the pain of having an abortion.

“I want to let her know the damage of abortion: that abortion hurts not only the mother, but the family and the generations after,” Freire said.

Freire is one of many Floridians concerned about Amendment 4, a proposed amendment to the Florida state constitution that will come up for a vote in November 2024.

As the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops (FLCCB) explains, “Titled ‘Amendment to Limit Government Interference with Abortion,’ Amendment 4 would enshrine UNREGULATED ABORTION in our state constitution, making Florida one of the MOST PRO-ABORTION states in the nation. The amendment language is MISLEADING, and its proposed outcomes are DANGEROUS.”

Freire agrees that “passing Amendment 4 would be a travesty.” She and other like-minded individuals from various walks of life shared their perspectives during interviews for the Archdiocese of Miami’s campaign against Amendment 4. Family values were strong among those involved in the behind-the-scenes: Freire and her husband, and videographer Adrian Gonzalez and his wife were both expecting children, and working together during the filming were mother-and-son duo Juan Di Prado, senior communications director for the Archdiocese of Miami, and Belkys Rodriguez Prado, assistant director of the archdiocese's Respect Life ministry.

The campaign will include social media videos, billboards, news articles profiling individuals’ stories, and a press kit. The videos were released August 12 in an effort to inform Floridians why they should vote “no” on Amendment 4.

In the video, Freire speaks about the harm that abortion does to women, which could be further exacerbated if Amendment 4 is passed, since it will enable increased laxity of health and safety measures. Luz Alvarado and Ashley Banegas, two women whose daughters were almost aborted, testify to the resources that pregnancy help centers provide and which enabled their families to flourish.

Since Amendment 4 would allow minors to have abortions without their parents’ consent, George and Christina Griffith and Erlys Ramirez give their perspective as parents.

Dr. Grazie Pozo Christie speaks from the point of view of a Florida radiologist, explaining why Amendment 4 is dangerous from the medical perspective and debunking common myths about abortion.

Christie Acosta Mora and her husband, John Mora, share the story of their oldest daughter, Vida Elyse, who had trisomy 13. Even though she lived a short life, 31 days, she is seen as a gift to her family and community.

A message from Archbishop Thomas Wenski will also be included in the video, which will be released on social media and shared in parishes.

To learn more about Amendment 4 for the latest news and resources for parishes, schools, and the general public, visit miamiarch.org/Amendment4 or click in the banner below.

Note: In this article, Christie Acosta, one of the interviewees in the video, requested that her married name, Christie Acosta Mora, be used. She also added that her daughter, Vida, lived 31 days. This article originally appeared in the August issue of the Florida Catholic Miami.

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