Ohio Republicans are champing at the bit to see their extreme abortion ban finally take effect, and it’s a safe bet that the arch-conservative state Supreme Court will do their bidding soon enough.
But we have one powerful chance to stop them dead in their tracks this November by helping to pass Issue 1, a ballot measure that would amend the state constitution to guarantee the right to an abortion.
That’s why Daily Kos is endorsing the broad-based coalition called Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights that’s supporting Issue 1, and why we’re asking you to join us in this fight.
In 2019, Ohio Republicans passed a bill banning abortions at just five or six weeks into pregnancy—a point at which many women don’t even know they are pregnant. Literally hours after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, an Ohio judge allowed that law to come into force, effectively banning nearly all abortions in the state.
That led to some terrifying consequences, including the story of a 10-year-old girl from Columbus who was raped, became pregnant, and had to travel to Indiana for an abortion.
The ban was eventually put on hold by a different judge several months later, but it’s only a temporary pause as litigation over the law makes its way through the courts. The final destination will be the Ohio Supreme Court, whose far-right majority has already made clear what it thinks of abortion rights: Just days ago, the court refused to alter a misleading summary of Issue 1 that voters will see on their ballots, allowing Republican officials to substitute the phrase “unborn child” for “fetus.”
That kind of chicanery is nothing new, though. Last month, Republicans tried to sabotage abortion rights by putting a different amendment on the ballot—confusingly, also known as Issue 1—that would have made it much harder to pass future amendments. Voters, however, resoundingly rejected that effort to undermine their rights and voted down that proposal by a wide 57-43 margin.
Now we have to play our part to ensure another victory at the ballot box on Nov. 7. But it’s going to be difficult. Deep-pocketed opponents of reproductive freedom have donated heavily to defeat Issue 1, including nearly $1 million from the Catholic Church. Yet it goes deeper than that: Republicans are simply in disbelief at the possibility that ordinary citizens might act as a check on their power. They’re going to fight as bitterly as possible to prevent that from happening.
That’s why it’s our duty to step in and help however we can. And it’s more than just Ohio that’s at stake. Abortion rights will be on the ballot in many states next year. Our adversaries are desperately hoping to prove that our movement is weak. We need to show them just how strong we are.
