LOVELAND MAGAZINE

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Tag: Citizen-led amendments

  • Jane Gonzales and Patty Lawrence return and talk about the “new” Issue 1

    Jane Gonzales and Patty Lawrence return and talk about the “new” Issue 1

     

    “Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion”

    by David Miller

    Loveland, Ohio – Jane Gonzales from Loveland and Patty Lawrence from Miami Township returned to the LOVELAND MAGAZINE TV studio last week to talk about current politics and the activities they have been engaged in in recent months in the community.

    They discussed and answered questions about Ohio Issue 1 which will be on the General Election ballot on November 7. Yes, they talked about Issue 1 when they were last in the studio, and that Republican-led measure was soundly defeated.

    This November, Issue 1, which was a citizen-led effort, will ask voters to amend the Ohio Constitution to enshrine a woman’s “Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion”.

    In this interview, Gonzales and Lawrence tell viewers what their reaction was when the attempt to make it harder to circulate initiative petitions and would have raised the bar for citizen-led amendments to a 60% threshold failed in the special election in August. Both women campaigned against the change simultaneously while collecting signatures to have the right to make reproductive decisions including abortion on the Fall ballot. They opposed the August Issue 1. They are encouraging a “YES” vote on the citizen-led amendment.

    In this new interview, they discuss what the current Issue 1 will and won’t do and why they are encouraging voters to vote “YES” on the constitutional amendment.

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    The amendment as it would be in the Ohio Constitution

    [pdf-embedder url=”https://lovelandmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/The-Right-to-Reproductive-Freedom-with-Protections-for-Health-and-Safety.pdf”]

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    ISSUE 1 BASICS (Leauge of Women Voters of Ohio)

    WHAT IS ISSUE 1 ABOUT?

    • Issue 1 relates to reproductive health care. Also known as “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety”, it would amend the Ohio Constitution, if passed by voters in November. 


    WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO VOTE YES ON ISSUE 1?

    • A “yes” vote supports amending the Ohio Constitution to restore the right to an abortion, as well as other reproductive health care such as fertility or miscarriage treatment : 

      • ​establish a state constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,”including decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and continuing pregnancy; 

      • prohibit the state of Ohio from interfering with this constitutional right, except when the state demonstrates “that it is using the least restrictive means to advance the individual’s health in accordance with widely accepted and evidence-based standards of care;” 

      • allow the state to restrict abortion after fetal viability, defined as “the point in a pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of the pregnant patient’s treating physician, the fetus has a significant likelihood of survival outside the uterus with reasonable measures;” and 

      • prohibit the state of Ohio from banning abortion when, in the professional judgment of a physician, an abortion “is necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health.” 


    WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO VOTE NO ON ISSUE 1? 

    • A “no” vote opposes amending the Ohio Constitution to establish the constitutional right to “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.” This would allow the state to continue to create legislation relating to abortion and other reproductive health actions.


    WHAT HAPPENS IF ISSUE 1 PASSES? 

    • Abortion would go back to being legal up until viability of the fetus — as it had been for nearly half a century since Roe v. Wade.  Access to miscarriage care, to contraception, and to fertility treatments, as well as the right to remain pregnant, would also be protected under this amendment. Under this amendment, the state would be allowed to restrict abortion beyond viability, with exceptions made when a physician deems abortion necessary for the life or health of the pregnant patient.

    ​WHAT HAPPENS IF ISSUE 1 DOES NOT PASS?

    • Laws around abortion and other reproductive health care would continue to be made by state government. 

    • Right now, Ohio has a ban on abortion after the 6th week of pregnancy in place, but this ban has been temporarily blocked by a judge. The judgment blocking the ban has been challenged by the Ohio Attorney General on behalf of the state of Ohio, and is under review with the Ohio Supreme Court. If the Court rules in the state’s favor, the 6 week abortion ban will resume, making abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy illegal. This includes pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. 


    WHO IS LEADING THE CAMPAIGN TO PASS ISSUE 1? 

    • An organization named OURR – Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights– is heading Issue 1. According to their website, this is a coalition of statewide organizations that includes ACLU of Ohio, Abortion Fund of Ohio, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, New Voices for Reproductive Justice, Ohio Women’s Alliance, Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio, Preterm-Cleveland, Pro-Choice Ohio, and URGE. 


    WHO IS LEADING THE CAMPAIGN OPPOSING ISSUE 1? 

    • An organization named Protect Women Ohio is heading the opposition against Issue 1. According to their website, this is a coalition of people and organizations; no names are identified. 


    WHO ARE SOME SUPPORTERS OF ISSUE 1? 

    • American Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), Ohio Section

    • National Association of Social Workers 

    • Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine


    WHO ARE SOME OPPONENTS OF ISSUE 1?

    • Center for Christian Virtue 

    • Ohio Catholic Conference 

    • Ohio Right to Life 

    ABORTION IN OHIO 

    WHAT IS THE CURRENT LEGAL STATUS OF ABORTION IN OHIO? 

    • ​On June 24, 2023, immediately after the Dobbs ruling, a federal judge lifted an injunction that had been placed on a law that made abortion after 6 weeks illegal in Ohio, including for pregnancies resulting from rape or incest. That law had originally been passed in 2019 but blocked in court because it was unconstitutional according to Roe v. Wade; after Dobbs, the law was no longer unconstitutional. 

    • On September 14, 2023, a different judge blocked the 6 week ban, restoring abortion rights to Ohioans temporarily. Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, representing the state, has challenged this ruling, and the Ohio Supreme Court is set to hear arguments later this month. If the Court rules in favor of the state, who brought the suit, abortion will again be banned after 6 weeks. 


    WOULD THE AMENDMENT AFFECT ANYTHING OTHER THAN ABORTION?

    • Yes. 

    • In addition to guaranteeing the right to abortion, the amendment would also protect the right to other reproductive health actions such as access to contraception, fertility treatment, and miscarriage care, as well as the right to continue a pregnancy. 

    ISSUE 1: FACTS vs. MISINFORMATION 

    CAN A PREGNANCY BE TERMINATED AT ANY TIME DURING A PREGNANCY? 

    • The amendment maintains the standard set by the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade, which prohibits abortion after viability (which most doctors say is around 24 weeks), except in cases when the patient’s life or physical health would be endangered by maintaining the pregnancy. In those instances, determined by the patient’s physician, abortion would be a protected option.

    • Historically, abortion after viability is very, very rare, with 93.1% of abortions happening before 13 weeks gestation in 2020, and less than 1% over 21 weeks gestation. (CDC). Typically, abortion during this period only happen when there are severe fetal anomalies and/or the patient’s life or physical health is in danger. 


    HOW WOULD THIS AMENDMENT AFFECT PARENTAL RIGHTS? 

    • It wouldn’t. There is nothing in the amendment that changes Ohio laws around parental consent. 

    • Ohio law requires minors under the age of 18 to get consent from at least one parent when seeking an abortion. Minors who believe they are unable to tell a parent must get a court order from a judge through a process called judicial bypass. There is nothing in the amendment that would change this. 

    HOW WOULD THIS AMENDMENT AFFECT GENDER-AFFIRMING CARE? 

    • It doesn’t. There is nothing in the amendment that has anything to do with gender-affirming care.

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    Ohio’s county boards of elections have begun distributing ballots to active duty military and overseas voters, officially opening the November 7 general election.

     

     

    OCTOBER 31st:  DEADLINE TO REQUEST YOUR MAIL-IN BALLOT

     

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  • Ohio senators working to resurrect recently eliminated August elections to fight abortion amendment

    Ohio senators working to resurrect recently eliminated August elections to fight abortion amendment

    “If we save 30,000 lives as a result of spending $20 million,” Senate President Matt Huffman argued, “I think that’s a great thing.”

    BY: NICK EVANS – Ohio Capital Journal

    Only about three months ago, Ohio lawmakers passed a wide-ranging elections bill that will require voters present a photo ID when they cast a ballot. But it didn’t start out that way. Lawmakers bolted on the photo ID requirements only at the last minute.

    The bill began as a proposal to eliminate August special elections. The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Thomas Hall, R-Madison Township, argued there should only be two elections a year “a primary election, and a general election.”

    “August special elections are costly to taxpayers and fail to engage a meaningful amount of the electorate in the process,” he argued.

    So why are lawmakers now preparing to un-eliminate the elections they just scrapped?

    The Senate’s proposal

    Sens. Rob McColley, R-Napoleon, and Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, introduced a bill Wednesday that would, once again, allow August special elections.

     COLUMBUS, Ohio — MARCH 22: State Rep. Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, speaks to reporters after the House Constitutional Resolutions committee meeting first hearing on HJR 1 that would require 60% vote to approve any constitutional amendment, March 22, 2023, at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.)

    Despite the most recent August election barely clearing 8% in statewide voter turnout, the sponsors specifically add legislature-initiated amendments to the brief list of proposals that can go on an August ballot. Citizen-led amendments can still only go before voters in November

    McColley and Gavarone’s change of heart has to do with one such proposal working its way through the Ohio House. That resolution would put a proposal on the ballot raising the threshold for passage of all future amendments from a simple majority to 60%.

    After that resolution’s hearing, House minority leader Allison Russo criticized the unnecessary expense.  Of Republicans’ about face, she said, “the hypocrisy here has no bounds.”

    “Really what this is about is silencing the voice of voters and shutting down direct democracy,” she argued, “Because again, this is a legislature who has no interest in being checked by voters — they picked their voters.”

    The sponsors readily acknowledge the expense of their gambit. The bill appropriates $20 million to help county boards conduct a special election. If lawmakers were to wait about three months, they could save that money. As it happens, there’s an election every November, and it’s relatively cheap to add one more question.

    But Senate president Matt Huffman is calculating the question differently, and to him, the math adds up.

    Huffman’s take

    “If we save 30,000 lives as a result of spending $20 million, I think that’s a great thing,” Huffman told reporters after a Senate session Thursday. “Now I know a lot of people don’t look at it that way, but that’s the way I look at it.”

    His comments are an explicit connection between efforts to raise the threshold for amending the constitution and undermining an abortion rights amendment. Organizers are currently gathering signatures for that proposal and hope to have it on the ballot this November.

    The senate president over-shot the mark, however. Department of Health statistics put the number of induced abortions at more like 21,000-22,000 per year on average.

    Huffman defended the push for an August election. He said he’d expected the House to have the supermajority resolution passed in time for the May primaries.

     COLUMBUS, OH — JANUARY 03: Newly elected Ohio House Speaker Rep. Jason Stephens (R-Kitts Hill) gives brief remarks at the opening day ceremonies of the 135th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, January 3, 2023, in the House Chamber at the Statehouse in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by Graham Stokes for Ohio Capital Journal. Republish photo only with original story.)

    Still Huffman attempted to draw a distinction between the current proposal and lawmakers eliminating August elections as a standing “as-needed” date on the election calendar.

    “Do I have turnout concerns in school levies in August because very few people come out, and they’re done when people are on vacation, and they don’t know about it? And liquor permits and things like that, that typically happen? Yeah.” Huffman said.

    “But I think in this case, it’s something that a lot of people are going to be very fired up about,” he added.

    Huffman said he plans to have the special elections measure passed by mid to late April. He wants the House to have “ample consideration,” before the deadline to get the supermajority amendment on the ballot.

    House headwinds

    If House Speaker Jason Stephens has his way, though, the special elections bill may be dead on arrival.

    “We just voted to not have those anymore just a few months ago,” Stephens told reporters Thursday. “The county election officials I’ve talked to are not interested in having it.”

    “I’m frankly not interested in having an election in August,” he said.

    Follow OCJ Reporter Nick Evans on Twitter.