Ohio Issue 1: Anti-abortion advocates face a humbling loss.
The State of Ohio Rejects Issue 1, Paving the Way for an Abortion Rights Amendment
The state of Ohio has made a significant decision regarding Issue 1, which aimed to make it more challenging to amend the state constitution. This outcome has important implications for an upcoming referendum on enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution.
With a record-breaking voter turnout since early voting began last month, the Columbus Dispatch has projected a resounding victory for the “no” vote, with nearly 70% of the votes in. This means that a simple majority will still be sufficient to amend the state constitution, making it easier for an abortion rights constitutional amendment to gain approval on the ballot this November.
Ohioans’ Votes Matter
Approximately 30% of Ohioans voted in favor of increasing the difficulty of amending the state constitution, requiring a 60% majority vote. However, the majority has spoken, emphasizing that changing the state’s founding document should not be an easy process.
The Battle for Abortion Rights
Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up to 22 weeks gestation. However, a six-week abortion ban signed by Gov. Mike Dewine in 2019 was put on hold in December. Now, an abortion rights amendment is set to be on the ballot in November 2023, preventing the state legislature from interfering or unduly burdening those seeking or providing abortions.
Opponents of the abortion amendment argue that it would invalidate several existing Ohio laws, including parental consent measures and regulations of abortion facilities. They have been the strongest proponents of Issue 1, stressing that changing the state’s founding document should not be taken lightly.
“To many voters, Issue 1 is very reasonable when they see what it requires to change our US Constitution and what it requires in other states,” says Michelle Ashley of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. ”It’s bipartisan… and it’s very common sense.”
The Fight for Democracy
Ohio is one of only 18 states that allows for petition-initiated constitutional amendments. Currently, only 9 of those states require a simple majority to change the state’s governing document. Advocates of the abortion amendment, including Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, argue that requiring a super majority hinders the principle of one person, one vote.
“Without one person, one vote, we are no longer a functional democracy – rather a disturbing inversion where a small number of people decide how the majority must live,” says Collin Marozzi, the deputy policy director of ACLU Ohio. “By requiring 60% support for future amendments, Ohioans’ votes and voices will no longer be equal.”
Recent polls indicate that 58% of Ohioans support enacting the abortion amendment. However, anti-abortion advocates still have an opportunity to challenge the proposed amendment through a lawsuit filed by two state-level GOP political leaders. The lawsuit claims that the amendment violates requirements because it does not clarify which current state laws would be invalidated if passed by referendum.
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