Ohio Republicans are challenging the validity of a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights, which was approved by voters in the recent election. They argue that the amendment does not actually protect reproductive freedom and are planning to take action to prevent its implementation.
In a statement released on Thursday, Ohio House Republicans said they would consider removing jurisdiction from the judiciary over the “ambiguous” ballot initiative, known as Issue 1. They plan to hold public hearings and seek input from legal experts on both sides to determine if any modifications to existing laws are necessary.
Ohio had previously banned abortion following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. However, legal challenges to the state’s abortion laws left residents uncertain about their reproductive rights until the passage of the ballot measure on Tuesday. The proposed strategy by Republicans would essentially strip Ohio’s courts of the power to repeal existing abortion restrictions before the new amendment takes effect on December 7.
State Representative Beth Lear, a Republican from Galena, stated that “no amendment can overturn the God-given rights with which we were born.” Another representative, Jennifer Gross, claimed that the referendum had only passed due to “foreign election interference.”
Representative Bill Dean, a Republican from Xenia, argued that the amendment “doesn’t repeal a single Ohio law” and criticized its language as “dangerously vague and unconstrained.” He warned that it could be used to attack parental rights or protect criminals such as rapists, pedophiles, and human traffickers.
Ohio is not the only state where Republicans are attempting to undermine pro-choice ballot initiatives supported by voters. In Michigan, two anti-choice activist groups are collaborating with Republican lawmakers to sue the state and block the implementation of a voter-approved constitutional amendment.
Stacey LaRouche, press secretary to Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, criticized these efforts, stating that right-wing organizations and radical Republicans are cherry-picking courts in an attempt to overturn constitutionally guaranteed rights because they cannot win with voters.
Despite Republicans’ claims that the issue of abortion should be left to individual states after the end of Roe, they continue to undermine reproductive rights regardless of voter preferences. Ballot measures supporting reproductive freedom have been approved in all seven states where they have been presented to voters.
