Ohio citizens voted down Issue 1 in the state’s Tuesday election, rejecting the legislatively referred ballot measure that would have raised the threshold needed for voters to change the state’s constitution from 50% to 60%.
The disappointing vote paves the way for pro-abortion activists to more easily add abortion as a “right” in the Ohio constitution this November.
With over 95% of results reporting, 57% of Ohio voters voted “No” on the measure, while 43% voted “Yes.”
Turnout for the August election was far higher than anticipated. So far, 3,059,440 votes have been reported, with just over 1.3 million of them having voted “Yes” on Issue 1. Nearly 642,000 Ohioans voted early.
Last night’s election results are disappointing and disheartening. Out-of-state, dark money groups spent $15 million to convince Ohio voters to reject Issue 1.
The 1.3 million Ohio voters who voted “Yes” on Issue 1, and all involved pro-life groups, like the Center for Christian Virtue and the Susan B. Anthony List, deserve commendation for their valiant efforts.
“We were dramatically outspent by dark money billionaires from California to New York, and the giant ‘for sale’ sign still hangs on Ohio’s constitution,” Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose said in a statement. “Ohioans will see the devastating impact of this vote soon enough.”
As the secretary of state insinuated, the fight is not over for The Buckeye State yet.
Recently, the pro-abortion lobby gathered enough signatures – via professional, paid out-of-state signature gatherers – to place the Ohio Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative (2023) on Ohioan’s ballots this November.
The measure would enshrine abortion as a right in the state’s constitution, thereby legalizing abortion up until birth, and permit minors to receive harmful and experimental transgender medical interventions without their parent’s knowledge or consent.
Because of Issue 1’s defeat, the Initiative will only require a simple majority vote to pass in the fall.
Despite yesterday’s loss, we must look towards November and redouble our efforts to convince Ohioans to reject this proposed radical abortion measure. All individuals, born and unborn, are made in the image of God and deserve to be protected under law.
The pro-family group Protect Women Ohio spent $9 million supporting Issue 1. The group has committed an additional $25 million to defeating the abortion measure this November.
On the other hand, the pro-abortion lobby has committed to spending a minimum of $35 million to pass the measure.
“[The failure of Issue 1] will not deter us from continuing to fight the ACLU’s extreme agenda this November, which seeks to allow abortion up until birth and take away parents’ rights to protect their child from being pressured into an abortion or even a sex-change operation,” Ohio Right to Life CEO Peter Range said in a statement.
“We in the pro-life movement have the privilege of living to fight another day. Thus, today, we rise to honor God, and the dignity of all human life, by continuing the fight to defend the innocent.”
Pro-life supporters cannot stop until all preborn lives are protected, no matter how many defeats we suffer on the path to true equality of persons.
In the lead up to the November 7 election, pro-life individuals must defend life in Ohio. Here’s how you can help:
FIRST, please pray for the defeat of the Right to Make Reproductive Decisions initiative.
SECOND, if you are in Ohio, please vote “No” on the Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Measure in November.
THIRD, for pro-life individuals looking to get involved in Ohio, please visit the Center for Christian Virtue, a Focus on the Family-allied state family policy council. Go to ccv.org/countycaptain.
Related articles and resources:
Protect Women Ohio Launches $5.5 Million Ad Buy to Support Issue 1 in Final Week
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