Commentary: Voting Yes on Issue One Protects the Ohio Constitution from the Far-Left Push to Add Abortion Rights in November

by Bryan Kemper

 

Ohio is on its way to adding a right to abortion in its state constitution, or at least that’s what you might surmise judging from some recent headlines:

USA Today: “Bellwether? Ohio voters back abortion rights amendment in a test case for other states”

Washington Post: “Analysis – The Ohio GOP’s Bold Abortion Gambit Has Imploded”

New York Magazine: “The Sneak Attack on Abortion Rights in Ohio is Failing”

The mainstream media loves to call elections way before they even take place. It’s an insidious practice designed to make the other side of whatever candidate or cause the media is championing think all is lost and there’s really no reason to even get out and vote.

The very deliberate message these stories and headlines hope to convey is that life already has been defeated in Ohio.

Don’t believe it.

Voters haven’t backed abortion rights, the gambit has not imploded and there was never a “sneak attack” on abortion so it could not have failed.

Ohio voters have the power to make liars out of these headline writers in two upcoming elections. Pro-lifers cannot sit out either of these votes.

The first question, to be decided via a special election August 8, asks whether the threshold for changing the constitution should be 60 percent in favor, instead of the current 50 percent plus one vote. Constitutional amendments also would need signatures from voters from all 88 counties, instead of the current 44.

We need people to vote yes on this issue. Early voting is still ongoing and the turnout has been unprecedented, which the media is reporting as a win for the ‘No’ side. But of course, the votes have not yet been counted. Read all headlines with a healthy dose of skepticism.

The second vote will come November 7, the day of the general election, when Ohio voters must decide if they want their state constitution to explicitly protect the right to have an abortion. But the wording of the amendment abortion advocates hope to pass would do much more than protect access. It would remove conscience rights, negate parental rights and eliminate all restrictions on abortion, including the Heartbeat law that was saving unborn lives in Ohio until a judge temporarily blocked it.

With our constitution guaranteeing a right to abortion, those beating hearts would be stilled forever as Ohio competes with other abortion-friendly states for its share of abortion tourism dollars.

This week, the abortion sellers and ideologues pushing for abortion on demand in Ohio learned they have enough valid signatures to get their proposed amendment before voters in November. That makes the stakes for the August 8 special election very high. If voters decide a 60 percent majority is needed for a ballot amendment to pass, that higher threshold will take effect right away, decreasing the chance that the pro-abortion screed will find its way into our constitution.

Every Ohioan who believes parents have a right to be involved in their children’s life-altering decisions and that every child conceived has a right to life must vote YES on August 8, or earlier if possible. Tell everyone you know and direct them to Protect Women Ohio to learn how else they can help.

Don’t let the abortion-loving corporate media have the last word on this story. Don’t let the state I love, my home and the home of my children and grandchildren, become the New York of the Midwest.

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Bryan Kemper is the coordinator of street activism and director of youth outreach for Priests for Life. He lives in Troy.
Photo “Young Man Voting” by Edmond Dantès.

 

 

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2 Thoughts to “Commentary: Voting Yes on Issue One Protects the Ohio Constitution from the Far-Left Push to Add Abortion Rights in November”

  1. Kevin

    Great article Bryan – helpful and informative. I will share with others i know in the state.

  2. Theresa Watson

    This vote is not only for Ohio – it affects the entire country. If you live in Ohio please vote YES. Please share this information with all like minded individuals. VOTE YES!!

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