A few lines on a ballot can reshape a constitution for generations. Before November 3, Virginia Christians are being urged to look past the wording and understand what their votes could set in motion.
Virginians will vote this November on ballot amendments that will have lasting consequences for unborn babies and religious liberty.
The first, a proposal on abortion in Virginia, is, quite literally, a matter of life and death, while the second redefines marriage and could have serious ramifications for churches and Christian business owners.
That’s why the Standing for Freedom Center has partnered with the Southern Baptist Convention of Virginia (SBCV) and the Family Foundation to help educate and mobilize pastors, churches, and conservative voters to get out and vote “No” to both proposals.
Starting August 13, that partnership, known as Stand for Life & Marriage, will put on several gatherings at various churches around the state. Among the scheduled speakers are Gary Hamrick, senior pastor of Cornerstone Chapel in Loudoun County; Pastor E.W. Jackson, Republican candidate for Virginia lieutenant governor in 2013; and Jonathan Falwell, senior pastor of Thomas Road Baptist Church and the Chancellor of Liberty University.
The events are free and open to the public. The current schedule is as follows (though additional dates may be added):
- August 13, Noon, Calvary Road Baptist Church in Alexandria.
- August 13 at 6:30 PM at Spotswood Baptist Church in Fredericksburg
- August 20 at 6:30 PM at First Baptist Roanoke in Roanoke
- August 24 at 6:30 PM at London Bridge Baptist Church in Virginia Beach
- August 25 at 12:00 PM at LibertyLive Church in Hampton
- August 27 at 6:30 PM The Heights Church in Colonial Heights
An informational website also allows interested churches and voters to access educational materials, prayer guides, action plans, and other helpful resources for Christians to get involved and spread the word.
What the Amendments Will Really Do
As the Freedom Center has explained in previous articles, ballot amendments are rarely as simple as they appear. The language used in the ballot question is often an exercise of verbal contortionism that leaves out key details found in the amendment’s full text. Worse, it doesn’t explain how the amendment will play out in the real world.
The Stand for Life & Marriage initiative provides breakdowns of all the confusing language in these two ballot amendments.
Take the abortion amendment. The ballot question voters will see in November reads:
Question: Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) protect the freedom to make personal decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion, miscarriage management, and fertility care; (ii) protect doctors, nurses, and patients from being punished for these decisions; and (iii) allow for restrictions on access to abortion during the third trimester of pregnancy except when the patient’s health is at risk or the pregnancy cannot survive?
The Standing for Freedom published an article last October detailing what’s truly at stake if the state adds a constitutional amendment granting a right to abortion. But the Stand for Life & Marriage website builds on that article by providing a line-by-line commentary showing the language used in the ballot question is carefully chosen to obfuscate abortion activists’ real intentions.
The full text of the amendment shows that it will ensure “every individual has the fundamental right to reproductive freedom.”
In the real world, “the fundamental right to reproductive freedom” would override current Virginia law and allow a minor to get an abortion without her parents’ knowledge or consent. It would undo all limits on third-trimester abortions by allowing a single physician to greenlight the procedure rather than the three physicians currently required by law. It would permit abortions to be performed throughout the third trimester if a physician or abortion provider says it would benefit the mental health of the mother. And it would prevent the legislature from enacting or enforcing any limitations on abortion in the future.
In short, by making abortion a constitutional right, the amendment would legalize abortion for any reason — up to the moment of birth.
Meanwhile, on the same ballot, voters will be asked if they want to change Virginia’s marriage law. The question reads,
“Should the Constitution of Virginia be amended to (i) remove the ban on same-sex marriage; (ii) affirm that two adults may marry regardless of sex, gender, or race; and (iii) require all legally valid marriages to be treated equally under the law?”
Same-sex “marriage” was made legal in all 50 states because of the Supreme Court’s 2015 disastrous verdict in Obergefell v. Hodges; however, before that decision, many states had bans on homosexual marriage, often adopted by voters.
Virginia is one of those states. Under its constitution, the law still states that only a union between one man and one woman will be recognized as a marriage and denies the benefit of marriage to any other relationship.
If the U.S. Supreme Court ever overruled its rewriting of marriage law, Virginia would not recognize same-sex marriage. A constitutional amendment would change that.
The full text of the proposed amendment states that “marriage is one of the vital personal rights essential to the orderly pursuit of happiness.”
If passed, it would rewrite the state constitution to say, “This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall not deny the issuance of a marriage license to two adult persons seeking a lawful marriage on the basis of the sex, gender, or race of such persons. This Commonwealth and its political subdivisions shall recognize any lawful marriage between two adult persons and treat such marriages equally under the law, regardless of the sex, gender, or race of such persons.”
The Bible teaches that marriage is between one man and one woman as established by God and symbolized through the marriage of Christ and the Church. Homosexual activity is condemned by God, and to redefine marriage to include it would be to twist it into something unrecognizable and anathema to the designs of God.
And by calling marriage between any two adults a “right,” the amendment makes it possible that Christian business owners will face demands to participate in same-sex marriages — or face discrimination charges.
Since the Supreme Court’s Obergefell decision, bakers, florists, photographers, website designers, and other businesses have been subjected to lawsuits brought by LGBT couples or activists seeking to force Christian business owners to affirm, celebrate, and participate in ceremonies or activities that violate the owner’s religious beliefs or convictions.
Thankfully, the Supreme Court ruled in 303 Creative v. Elenis that business owners cannot be forced to create messages that violate their religious beliefs, but such rulings are limited and only protect certain business owners whose services involve artistic expression.
More Resources to Get Out the Vote
Stand for Life & Marriage also addresses a key concern for those new to political activity: Whether churches and pastorscan speak on voting and political issues without risking trouble with the Internal Revenue Service.
Legal firm Alliance Defending Freedom’s (ADF) Church & Ministry Alliance has provided a document explaining what churches can and cannot do or say when it comes to discussing the ballot amendments with church members or the community.
While many church leaders have become convinced that mentioning anything related to politics could risk their tax-exempt status, pastors and churches can discuss issues that affect their core biblical values, which, in this case, would include the sanctity of life, marriage, sexuality, parental rights, and religious liberty.
The website also includes a section explaining how individuals can get involved. This includes asking someone to come speak at their church, hosting a town hall, or placing yard signs on their property or around the community.
Virginia needs people willing to stand. In states across our nation, left-leaning groups have significantly out-funded and out-organized conservatives at every turn on these issues, and the results have been catastrophic for the unborn, for mothers, for families, for churches, and for society at large.
Every conversation, gathering, resource, and act of service can help more Virginians understand what is at stake and how to effectively respond.
If Americans want to live in a nation that honors God, obeys His commands, and protects life, liberty, and property, they must be willing to get involved, educate those around them, and stand up for what’s right.
Will you join us and stand for life and biblical marriage?
Every lasting movement begins with people willing to step forward. If this article helped bring the road ahead into clearer view, help us keep shining a light on the issues shaping life, family, and freedom. Your gift equips the Standing for Freedom Center to bring biblical clarity into the public square and encourage Christians to stand with courage and grace. Consider making a gift here.
