COLUMBUS, OHIO — As the residents of Ohio head to the polls today, they will be casting votes on two radical ballot initiatives that could determine the direction of the state in the coming decades: Issue 1, a constitutional amendment that would enshrine a “right” to “reproductive health,” including abortion and sex-change procedures, for “any individual”; and Issue 2, which would legalize the sale of marijuana.
Unrestricted Abortion at Any Age
Ohio voters are the only ones in the country who will be making a decision on abortion this Election Day, but the state is essentially a test-tube case for similar proposals that could appear on ballots in 2024 in states like Arizona, Missouri, and Florida, according to ABC News. Consequently, tens of millions of dollars have been poured into Ohio to fund ads, rallies, hours of door knocking, and phonathons in church basements and community centers.
Pro-abortion activists have even targeted Catholic churches across the state after the Catholic Conference of Ohio urged Catholics to vote no on Issue 1 as a matter of faith and morals. (RELATED: Pro-Abortionists Vandalize Catholic Churches in Ohio)
“The Catholic Church has always advocated for and acted to protect the most vulnerable in society…. We will continue to do so by explaining the harms Issue 1 poses to women, parents, and babies with Catholics and all people of goodwill across Ohio and encourage a no vote on this egregious proposal,” the bishops’ conference said in a statement on its website.
But Issue 1 isn’t just about abortion. By using the language of “any individual” and pushing the right to unspecified “reproductive health,” the initiative would allow minors to receive abortions or sex-change surgeries without parental consent — or even knowledge. From a legal perspective, parents would have no right to be involved in their child’s decision to receive a life-altering procedure.
The initiative is so extreme that even Gov. Mike DeWine — who, although Republican, is rarely described as a conservative — has advised Ohioans to vote no on the issue.
“I think whether you’re pro-choice or pro-life, Issue 1 just goes much, much too far,” DeWine said.
Not Just Any Odd Election Year
Even before Election Day, this year was abnormal for Ohio voters: Hundreds of thousands headed to the polls to vote early, off-year election or not. According to Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose’s office, 864,525 early ballots were submitted by Sunday, and the office is still waiting on 119,764 requested absentee ballots.
The Cincinnati Enquirer has reported that Hamilton County alone saw 57,000 early voters. “That’s more than double the amount of people who cast early votes in 2021 and 2019,” the Enquirer notes. (READ MORE from Aubrey Gulick: Will Ohio Vote No on Radical Abortion Amendment?)
While high early-voter turnout suggests that Ohioans certainly care about the issues on the ballot, polling hasn’t been promising. According to Baldwin Wallace University, a majority (58.2 percent) of the 850 registered Ohio voters who were polled said they would vote yes on Issue 1 (and 57.4 percent said they would vote to legalize the sale of marijuana in the state).
Today, Ohioans will be taking part in what may end up being one of the important elections in their lifetimes — a cliché that rings true when lives hang in the balance.