By John Neville and Barbara Driehaus, Democrats for Life of Ohio

Ohio voters need to understand the dangers of Issue 1. The proposition will wipe out
current Ohio laws that protect women and young girls.

At first glance, it is easy to be confused by the language and assume that a “yes” vote is
necessary to protect an individual’s “reproductive rights.” But if passed, Issue 1 will
jeopardize women’s health and safety protections, eviscerate parental consent and
notification requirements, and allow for painful, no-limits abortion up to the moment of
birth.

Under Ohio law, minors need parental consent before obtaining an abortion. But Issue 1
states, “Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive
decisions.” Issue 1 has no age restrictions, meaning it will overturn current laws that
require minors to seek parental consent or a judicial bypass. It could deny young girls
the support and guidance of a loving parent when making the difficult decision regarding
their pregnancy. In a worst-case scenario, it could allow sex traffickers, sexual
predators, or abusers to bring young girls to clinics to obtain abortions.

Issue 1 will remove parents from the most important, life-altering decisions their children
will ever face despite Ohioans’ overall support for laws to protect minors — laws to limit
minors’ work hours, rules protecting children from dangerous work environments, and
the need for notarized consent from a parent or legal guardian to receive piercings and
tattoos. Minors even need a parent’s permission to receive Tylenol from a school nurse.

Additionally, Issue 1 will give abortion providers significant freedom to perform late-term
abortions. The proposition overturns current law and will allow post-viability abortions,
including when the unborn child is capable of feeling pain. The woman’s “treating
physician” is the very abortionist who is being paid to perform an abortion, and that
physician determines the legality of the abortion.

As Democrats, we support stricter regulations; in no other industry would we trust
self-regulation. We would not allow big oil to set environmental rules or manufacturers
to set safety standards. We advocate for safe working environments, environmental
protection, and regulations to protect the vulnerable.

Our neighbors to the north are learning firsthand the implications of an overbroad
constitutional amendment. Michigan passed a proposal with similar language last year,
promising the amendment would not affect parental consent, protections for women or
no-limits abortion. They said their only goal was to ensure “reproductive freedom.”

But as soon as they won, pro-woman laws and protections for the unborn immediately
began to fall by the wayside. And now legislators are trying to repeal reasonable
regulations. Michigan’s Governor, Gretchen Whitmer, is calling for the repeal of
“unconstitutional abortion restrictions,” including parental consent laws and health and
safety protections that ensure clinics provide a clean, safe, and medically supportive
environment consistent with similar medical procedures.

My fellow Ohioans need to stop Issue 1, this overly broad, radical amendment, and
encourage our legislators instead to look for ways to provide more support and options
to pregnant women.

Democrats, in particular, should be leading the opposition. We support legislation that
will ensure that no woman chooses abortion for financial reasons alone. We are the
natural allies against any initiative that would remove protections to keep people safe
and protect the vulnerable.

Democrats need to vote NO on Issue 1.

_{John Neville is the President of Democrats for Life of Ohio. Barbara Driehaus is the Vice President of Democrats for Life of Ohio. Democrats for Life of Ohio is a branch of Democrats for Life of America.}