Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 3, 2023 / 17:01 pm
As Election Day in Ohio nears, hundreds of pro-life students from across the state are rallying to defeat the Issue 1 referendum, which would amend the Ohio Constitution to establish a right to abortion.
The proposed amendment would add a section to the state’s Bill of Rights that would create a new right to “reproductive freedom,” which includes, but is not limited to, abortion. A yes vote would establish a new constitutional right to abortion, and a no vote would reject that language being added to the state constitution.
Although the proposed amendment allows some restrictions after viability, activists fear the vague definitions provided in the text would allow abortions up to the point of birth and would end parental consent and notification for minors receiving abortions.
Protect Women Ohio, the pro-life coalition working to urge voters to reject the referendum, is running advertisements against the proposal, but its fundraising is outmatched about 3 to 1 by the pro-abortion campaign, which has received millions of dollars from out-of-state groups that support abortion.