It’s almost like a game: guessing what misleading or outright false arguments Ohio Right to Life (I keep accidentally mistyping “Ohio Right to Lie,” which is equally apt) and Protect Ohio Women, the main groups opposing Issue 1, the constitutional amendment protecting reproductive rights, are going to come out with THIS week?
They have a tough job. There really ARE no good arguments against it. It offers the same protections and limits on abortion that the vast majority of Ohioans support. If they were to tell the truth — that they fear and hate the idea of women having autonomy and the freedom to determine their own lives — Issue 1 would be even more toxic.
And it IS toxic, which is likely what’s driving their desperation. A new poll last week shows that support for Issue 1 isn’t budging: it stubbornly remains at 58%, where it’s been all along. They’re panicking because if it passes, it embeds reproductive rights in the state constitution — and that’s that.
So they’ve rolled out another lie, claiming that if Issue 1 is defeated, nothing would change: women will still be able to access abortion.
No, they won’t, and the change is likely to be immediate.
Ohio already passed a six-week ban with no exceptions for rape or incest; it became law in July 2019. It criminalized abortions after six weeks, putting doctors at risk for serious consequences if, in the opinion of the courts, they guessed wrong about whether a woman was facing sufficient risk to justify an abortion.
The bill was put on hold due to a court challenge, but when Roe v. Wade was overturned in June 2022, it took Ohio attorney general Dave Yost about two minutes to appeal to the state supreme court to put it in effect, and it was for almost three months. Horror stories came out during those months of women facing cancer unable to get treatment because they were pregnant and couldn’t have an abortion, and, most famously, of a ten-year-old rape victim forced to go to Indiana to get help.
How long do you think Ohio Republicans would wait to put that so-called “Heartbeat” bill back into effect I Issue 1 failed? They’d probably schedule a special session to take place in the middle of he night the minute the election was called on November 7. They probably have it booked already, just in case. And it’s probably going to be at Secretary of State Frank “Impartial Referee” LaRose’s office. I hope they haven’t spent too much on their refreshment order because chances are, they’re going to be disappointed.
Don’t risk Issue 1 being defeated. Be sure to vote YES on or before November 7. Early voting is taking place now, every weekday, as well as the weekend of November 4-5. Check with your board of elections for hours. And don’t forget that ID rules have changed and you now need a photo ID.