Out-of-state funds accused of influencing Ohio constitutional amendment by abortion opponents.
Anti-Abortion Advocates Target Out-of-State Influence in Ohio Special Election
Anti-abortion advocates in Ohio are taking a stand against the out-of-state financial influence of Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) in the upcoming special election on August 8th. This election will have a significant impact on a referendum that aims to codify abortion rights into the Ohio Constitution in November.
“Right now, Ohio’s Constitution has a giant ‘FOR SALE’ sign on it,”
- Molly Smith, Protect Women Ohio
Molly Smith, a board member of the advocacy organization Protect Women Ohio (PWO), expressed her concerns about the situation. PWO has launched a multimillion-dollar advertising campaign supporting Issue 1 on the ballot, which seeks to change the percentage of votes required to amend the state’s Constitution.
“Out-of-state special interest groups, like the ACLU, think they can drop into Ohio with their fat pockets and buy their way into our founding document — it’s outrageous, and it must be stopped.”
– Molly Smith, Protect Women Ohio
Pro-abortion rights activists have successfully gathered the necessary signatures to put an amendment on the Ohio Constitution ballot. This amendment aims to protect the right to make reproductive decisions, including contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and abortion. It also prevents the legislature from restricting abortion if it is deemed necessary by the pregnant patient’s treating physician to protect their life or health.
In response to this ballot measure, the Ohio legislature has called for a special election in August to change the percentage of votes required to amend the Ohio Constitution from a simple majority to a minimum of 60% of voters.
PWO, a self-described “pro-woman, pro-parent, and pro-life coalition,” was formed to counterbalance the influence of Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. PWO claims that both organizations are using out-of-state lobbying funds to support the campaign and maintain the simple majority amendment process while codifying abortion access.
PWO has invested $5 million in opposing Planned Parenthood and the ACLU. They argue that these organizations advocate for including gender transition medicine as part of comprehensive reproductive care. PWO’s latest ad, titled “Caught,” highlights tweets from both organizations supporting youth gender transition medicine and the removal of parental consent for transitions and abortions on minors.
PWO has also released a 30-second video commercial called “Your Promise,” which cost $2 million to air on television.
Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Global had a combined advocacy budget of $74.8 million in 2022, spread across multiple states and campaigns. Similarly, the national ACLU had a legislative and legal operating budget of $121.37 million, accounting for nearly 40% of its total expenditure.
Pro-abortion rights groups have pointed out that out-of-state interests are also funding anti-abortion advocacy in Ohio. For example, Illinois billionaire Richard Uihlein donated $1 million to the Save Our Constitution PAC.
“Issue 1 does nothing to keep out-of-state special interests from coming into Ohio and buying their preferred policy outcome.”
– Collin Marozzi, ACLU Ohio
Collin Marozzi, deputy policy director for ACLU Ohio, argues that Issue 1 will not prevent out-of-state special interests from influencing Ohio and jeopardizes the people’s right to amend the Constitution, which they have had for over 110 years.
The process for ratifying state constitutional amendments varies across the country. Florida, for example, also requires a 60% majority to ratify a constitutional amendment, while Nevada requires an amendment to be ratified in two consecutive elections before taking effect.
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