Ohio has once again taken center stage in the national abortion debate with Buckeye state voters set to decide on Nov. 7 whether the procedure is a constitutional right.
Specifically, the proposed amendment would establish that “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion.”
One provision of the proposed amendment states that abortion “may be prohibited after fetal viability.” However, the measure goes on to prohibit such restrictions if the mother’s treating physician—the person performing the abortion—finds that the procedure is “necessary to protect the patient’s life or health.”
Ohio is just one of several states to have seen a push to codify abortion rights in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s June 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
Since then, voters in traditionally red states like Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana have sided with abortion proponents on similar ballot measures aiming to tighten restrictions on abortion and enact new protections for the unborn.
Meanwhile, other states have addressed the matter in their legislatures, passing laws only to have them quickly challenged in court.
Such has been the case in Ohio, where enforcement of a 2019 law prohibiting abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat has been blocked for more than a year, mired in litigation brought by abortion providers.
However, if Issue 1 passes, the state’s attempts to revive the law may be dismissed as moot.
Supporters of the ballot initiative say it would enshrine protections for what they consider to be fundamental rights.
‘Beyond Reasonableness’
Among the group of opponents is northeastern Ohio resident Joanne Arnett, an independent voter who said Issue 1 “goes far beyond reasonableness.”“I cringe to imagine putting doctors and nurses in the situation to kill a fully formed child right before birth,” she told The Epoch Times.
“I cringe to imagine a 30-year-old who was convinced as a child by teachers and psychologists to undergo removal and mutilation of their sex organs and put them on hormone blockers and then have the realization years later of the damage that was done to them,” she said.
She also said that she feels society has placed too much emphasis on abortion and not enough on “making better decisions before having sex.”
“Today’s sex education in schools is focused on pleasure and not the consequences,” she said.
However, she added that she found the six-week abortion limit, which does not include exceptions for situations involving rape or incest, to be too restrictive. A 12-week limit with those exceptions, she said, would be reasonable.
But despite concerns over the amendment’s language, Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee (DLCC) National Communications Director Abhi Rahman said voters “know what they’re voting for” with Issue 1.
“People know the main part of it is to make sure that people in Ohio have access to reproductive health care,” Mr. Rahman said on a call with reporters on Nov. 6.
“And, you know, regardless of how broad it is, that’s the important part, really—putting things the way they were before Roe fell and before the Dobbs decision,” he added.
Weed on the Ballot
Ohio voters will also decide on a ballot initiative to legalize the sale and purchase of marijuana.That measure would amend state law to allow adults aged 21 and older to use and possess up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana and enact a 10 percent tax on its sale.
There are no congressional candidates on the ballot.
When early voting ended on Nov. 5, more than 864,000 early ballots had been cast, marking a 14 percent increase over the state’s special election in August.
Polls will close at 7:30 p.m. ET.
A valid photo ID is required to vote.
