Lake County Sentinel
Ohio voters overwhelmingly pass Issues 1
BY JOEY SCHNEIDER
STAFF
Ohio voters on Tuesday approved an amendment to establish the right to abortions statewide. Issue 1 was a ballot measure to change the state's constitution to establish protection on the right to abortions.
The issue was voted on after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24th, 2022, giving individual states the right to vote and decide on their own laws. Ohio is the seventh state to protect abortion rights since the US Supreme Court’s decision.
Governor Mike DeWine appeared on Fox News urging voters to vote "no" on Monday, saying "If you look at issue 1, it's a radical proposal, and whether you're pro-choice or pro-life, it just goes much, much too far. It would enshrine in our Constitution the right to have an abortion up until birth, any time during the preg-nancy. The second thing it would do is threaten a law we had on the books for many years requiring parental consent if we're dealing with a minor. The lawyers who wrote this were mindful of what they were doing. It is a radical proposal that does not fit Ohio."
The issue was deemed passed with around 84 percent of the vote in with 55.5 percent voting yes, and 45.5 percent voting no. Millions of dollars were raised by both Pro-Choice and Pro-Life groups, then poured into the state's advertising on television, internet sites, and social media leading up to the election.
Democratic Senator Sherrod Brown wrote on X (formerly Twitter) "All of my op-ponents would overrule Ohioans by supporting a national abortion ban in the Senate. While they work to ban abortion, I will continue fighting for and standing with the people of Ohio. Republican Senator JD Vance has yet to make a statement.
The issue will go into effect on December 7th and will protect the rights of abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care, and continuing each woman's own pregnancy. The amendment was brought on by Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and more groups advocating for reproductive rights.
POSTED 11/08/2023 00:11
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