Early voting has begun on Issue 1 in Ohio, and it’s not an overstatement to say that thousands of innocent preborn lives are at stake.
Starting July 11, voters in Ohio can vote early in person, or by mail, for the August 8th election that will decide the fate of Issue 1.
Issue 1 is a legislatively referred ballot measure that would raise the threshold needed to change the state’s constitution from a simple majority to 60%. Issue 1 needs a simple majority to pass.
According to the official argument in favor of Issue 1,
A YES vote on Issue 1 protects our Constitution from deep-pocketed, out-of-state interests. By passing Issue 1, the People will ensure constitutional changes are widely accepted and declare that Ohio’s Constitution is not for sale.
Issue 1 is designed to counter the extremist abortion lobby’s push to permit the killing of preborn life – at any stage in a pregnancy – this November. Abortion is currently legal in Ohio through 22 weeks of a woman’s pregnancy.
Just days ago, the well-funded abortion lobby – which hired professional, out-of-state name gatherers – submitted enough petitions to place a pro-abortion measure on the state’s ballot in November.
The abortion groups – Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Protect Choice Ohio – needed to collect 413,000 valid signatures to place the Ohio Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative (2023) on the November ballot. They submitted 710,131.
Though the signatures still must be validated by the Ohio Secretary of State’s office, the sheer number of names submitted practically guarantees that it will be placed on the November ballot.
The abortion lobby is set to spend a breathtaking $35 million to pass the measure in November.
It would legalize abortion in Ohio throughout all stages of a woman’s pregnancy and enshrine abortion as a so-called “right” in the state’s constitution.
If passed, the Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Initiative would also destroy parental rights by permitting minors to receive abortions and so-called sex-change surgeries without parental notification.
Ohio’s Center for Christian Virtue (CCV), a Focus on the Family-allied state family policy council, says this initiative would lead to a loss of 30,000 preborn babies every year to abortion in Ohio.
In a statement to the Daily Citizen, CCV president Aaron Baer said,
For decades, deep-pocketed special interests have tried to manipulate Ohio’s Constitution to force their radical political agendas on the state.
Now they’re looking to pass an initiative to legalize abortion up until birth, without parental consent. This is why voters must pass Issue 1 on August 8 to elevate the threshold to amend the constitution to 60 percent and protect our state.
In order to counter the abortion lobby, the Ohio state legislature referred Issue 1 to be voted on in the August 8th special election. If Issue 1 is passed, it would make it more difficult for the abortion measure to succeed in November.
Pro-life individuals must defend life in Ohio. And there are several ways pro-life supporters can get involved to help Issue 1 succeed.
FIRST, please pray for the success of Issue 1, and should the Right to Make Reproductive Decisions make the November ballot, pray for its defeat.
SECOND, if you are in Ohio, please vote YES on Issue 1 in August and NO on the Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Measure in November (should it be placed on the ballot). Early voting has already begun. Click here to find out where you can vote today.
THIRD, for pro-life individuals looking to get involved in Ohio, Baer said, “I’d point you to the resources we have available on our website at ccv.org/pledge (then click resources under the menu, or at the bottom of the pledge page) and ccv.org/countycaptain.”
To learn more about Issue 1, visit the Center for Christian Virtue here.
To find out more about voting in Ohio, click here.
Related article and resources:
Center for Christian Virtue: Pledge
Calling All Pro-Life Supporters: All Hands on Deck to Protect Life in Ohio
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