Politics

The amendment is billed by its Bible Belt backers as an anti-gay marriage measure. Supporters say it's needed to save Florida and America from a spiral into godlessness.

"We've never lived in a time where we have to define the definition of marriage, but we live in that time," said The Reverend Gary Johnson, of the Miami Baptist Association.

Opponents say amendment two isn't anti-gay marriage, but anti any coupling that doesn't have a marriage license.  They argue folks in lots of gay and straight relationships could suffer.

"If people vote for it, they'll be banning any type of union or type of relationship that isn't marriage," said Derek Newton, of Say No To 2 campaign. " So people with benefits, health care benefits, pension benefits, anybody who isn't married and is getting benefits, could see them taken away, could lose them. "

GARY NELSON: "You're involved in a loving, committed, straight relationship? 

"Yes, 24 years," said Helene Milman.

But Milman is not married. She's a widow, sharing her life with her partner Wayne. If they got married, she would lose some of her late husband's benefits. She fears she'll lose, either way, if amendment two is approved. 

"This amendment is absolutely ambiguous, it doesn't just say marriage, it says anything else that even smells like marriage, anything they don't want.  And that's wrong," said Milman.

"These people have no legal authority for the claims they're making," said Dotty Russom, of the "Yes 2 Marriage" campaign. "It's falsehoods, it's deception, and they're trying to deceive senior citizens."

If recent history is any indication, Florida's marriage amendment has a good shot at being consummated.  In the last presidential election year, the voters of eleven states who were asked to approve similar amendments said, "We do."

However, a study conducted by the Florida legislature did conclude that Amendment 2 could threaten the benefits of some unmarried couples, gay and straight.