An abortion-rights ad that includes a venerated image of Jesus is drawing pushback from conservative Catholics who want the commercial removed.
CatholicVote President Brian Burch called for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights to remove the 30-second ad named “Personal” promoting Ohio Issue 1, a sweeping pro-choice amendment on the November ballot.
“Those who want to eliminate all protections for the unborn in Ohio have resorted to exploiting images of Jesus in order to impose a radical change to the Ohio constitution,” said Mr. Burch.
The ad includes a scene of a man on his knees praying in church. In the background hangs “The Divine Mercy,” a revered painting of Jesus inspired by Polish nun Faustina Kowalska’s 1931 vision. She was canonized in 2000.
“When we face personal medical decisions, we depend on our doctors, our faith, our family, and the last thing we want is government making those decisions for us,” says the narrator of the ad released Tuesday. “That’s why voting Yes on One is so important. It ends Ohio’s extreme abortion ban, a ban with no exceptions for rape or incest.”
Ohio Issue 1 would add language to the state Constitution saying that the state “shall not, directly or indirectly, burden, penalize, prohibit, interfere with or discriminate against” the exercise of an individual’s reproductive rights.
Mr. Burch called on “those responsible for this ad to remove it immediately and apologize for the great offense it has caused.”
“Their newest ad campaign features ‘The Divine Mercy,’ a sacred image for Catholics given to a saintly Polish nun in the early 20th century,” Mr. Burch said. “The use of this image to advance the cause of abortion, even painful late-term abortion, is abhorrent and reveals a gross disregard for the cherished faith of millions of Christians in Ohio.”
The organization said Issue 1 would guarantee “abortion on demand up until birth, destroy parental rights, and roll back necessary health and safety protections for women.”
The U.K.-based Society for the Protection of Unborn Children also raised objections, tweeting: “Don’t try to use Catholic imagery or belief to promote abortion. You’ve tried for decades to get the Catholic vote on abortion issues but with little success.”
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a heartbeat law in 2019 that prohibits most abortions after a fetal cardiac activity can be detected, or six to eight weeks’ gestation, with exceptions to protect the life and physical health of the mother.
A judge put the law on hold last year pending the outcome of a lawsuit filed by abortion clinics after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, sending decision-making on abortion to the states.
The Catholic Church has long held that “abortion is gravely wrong at every stage,” according to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.
The Washington Times has reached out to Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights for comment.
• Valerie Richardson can be reached at vrichardson@washingtontimes.com.