Parental rights take center stage in Ohio’s ballot battle over abortion
By Valerie Richardson
On October 17, 2023
The pitched battle over Ohio Issue 1 is looking less about abortion and more about parents’ rights as opponents warn that the measure to enshrine “reproductive freedom” in the state Constitution goes beyond codifying Roe.
Protect Women Ohio, the “no” on Issue 1 campaign, argues that the proposed amendment on the Nov. 7 ballot is so broadly worded that it could let minors undergo abortions as well as gender-transition procedures without parents giving consent or even being notified.
“When it comes to parental consent, the [proposed] law specifically would allow any individual to make reproductive decisions,” Mehek Cooke, Protect Women Ohio spokeswoman, told The Washington Times. “There is nothing in the law that talks about an age limit. In fact, it goes on to state that the state may not ‘burden’ an individual’s decisions.”
Issue 1 says the state “shall not, directly or indirectly, burden, penalize, prohibit, interfere with” an individual’s “right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including but not limited to abortion.
Such language could be interpreted to include hormones or surgeries affecting a person’s reproductive function, say foes. In addition, the amendment refers to “individuals” — not adults, pregnant women or even women — with no mention of age restrictions.
This piece was republished from The Washington Times.