‘Issue 1’ Ballot Initiative Result Will Expand Abortion and Exclude Children from Equal Protection of the Law.
Ohio’s Issue 1 ballot measure will amend the state’s constitution to permit abortionists to perform abortions up to viability and beyond at the sole discretion of the abortionist.
Ohio is one of 18 states that permits constitutional amendments after monied interests gather a minimum number of signatures. Other than Ohio, nine of these states that permit this amendment procedure are largely pro-life: Arkansas, Florida, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, and South Dakota. The well-funded national organizations that imposed their pro-abortion agenda on Ohio through a statewide signature scheme will not stop here. These states should require legislative referrals for all future constitutional amendments to protect the democratic process from being financially weaponized by special interests.
If the constitution of Ohio is amended as planned, the state will join the 21 states across the country that have enacted unjust pro-abortion laws. The results in Ohio are a reminder of the moral danger of majoritarianism, of allowing the strong to victimize the weak. Human rights don’t get put to a vote. No majority vote can legitimately exclude some members of the human family from the equal protection of the law.
Chief Legal Officer & General Counsel Steven H. Aden said, “The results out of Ohio are a stark reminder that the pro-life legal movement must offer proactive strategies on the state and federal levels in defending preborn life in a post-Roe America. Without clear solutions, monied interests will continue to impose their will on pro-life states. That’s why we at AUL have introduced the American Life Initiative, Make Birth Free, and other proposals that get ahead of the pro-abortion agenda.”
Tom Shakely, Chief Engagement Officer, said, “Roe v. Wade taught Americans for nearly 50 years that abortion was a positive good for society. As a result of the U.S. Supreme Court’s decades of unjust abortion jurisprudence, many Americans have come to see abortion as if it were a necessary part of the American dream. Although Roe is gone, its cultural impact remains. We will continue to fight alongside Americans of every age, background, and belief for equal justice and equal protection for all. In time, justice will prevail.”
The greatest victim of tonight’s results are Ohio’s preborn children, whose futures have been bought by multi-million dollar campaigns organized by pro-abortion activists. For the pro-life movement, the results are another reminder that the ultimate victory of federal protections for preborn Americans will not be easily won.
