Ohio GOP blamed by anti-abortion group for amendment loss, claims it’s not a pro-life test.
Anti-Abortion Advocacy Group Blames Ohio GOP for Defeat in Contentious Vote
The recent vote in Ohio on whether to increase the difficulty of amending the state constitution was not a defeat for the anti-abortion movement, according to Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. The advocacy group placed the blame on the Ohio Republican Party for failing to mobilize voters.
“There should be no pro-life defeat message [from Ohio],” stated Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA, during a press call on Tuesday. “That was not a test of pro-life [in Ohio]. … This was a failure on the part of the GOP.”
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Last week, Ohioans rejected Issue 1, a ballot measure that would have made it harder to amend the state constitution through referendum by requiring a 60% majority. This decision to maintain the simple majority status quo will have implications for the upcoming November ballot, which includes an abortion protection amendment seeking to enshrine abortion rights.
Dannenfelser attributed the defeat in the August special election to Ohio Republicans and the business community, who failed to effectively rally voters around the broader implications of stricter rules for constitutional amendments. These implications include potential threats to gun rights and increased taxation limits.
Billy Valentine, SBA’s vice president for political affairs, expressed during the press conference that the pro-Issue 1 side “got crushed” in early voting due to insufficient funding from the Ohio Republican Party leading up to the election.
Valentine revealed that while the pro-Issue 1 votes narrowly carried the Election Day turnout, they were unable to overcome the anti-Issue 1 votes that dominated the early voting period starting on July 11.
“The Ohio GOP did not do its job ahead of early voting,” Valentine emphasized.
According to Valentine, the sentiment against Issue 1, led by the American Civil Liberties Union and Planned Parenthood, was a broad and nonpartisan message that resonated with a wide range of voters, including Trump supporters.
Valentine also noted that the pro-Issue 1 side lost support in 15 counties in northeastern Ohio, which had voted for former President Donald Trump in 2020. This loss was attributed to successful union mobilization in a region dominated by blue-collar industries.
When asked about the involvement of national-level leadership from the pro-abortion movement in Ohio, Valentine stated that the November abortion amendment is “anything but a grassroots effort” from pro-abortion groups.
Abortion rights groups are currently pushing for abortion amendments in Arizona, Florida, Missouri, and North Dakota for the 2024 election cycle.
Valentine argued that in response to abortion rights activism, the “answer is national protections,” with a federal limit on abortion being the “only hope for unborn children” in states like California, New York, and Illinois, where there are no gestational limits on abortion.
In Ohio, Valentine declared, “we’ll fight on and carry the fight into November.”
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