Issue 1 (Abortion Amendment) - A Pandora’s Box?

Could the passage of Ohio’s Issue 1 (Abortion Amendment) open a pandora’s box that Ohioans will regret into the indefinite future?

Voters will find several warning signs reading the full text of the amendment and the associated ballot language.

Examples: “Every individual has the right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions on…” Note the words “Every individual” There are NO age or sex restrictions. No mention of woman or female in the amendment text and includes other terms than just “abortion”. Why? NO parental rights or notification requirements are in the amendment. Why?

“Fetal viability” is loosely defined: “..in the professional judgement of the pregnant patients’ s treating physician, the fetus has significant likelihood of survival outside the uterus with the reasonable measures. This is determined on a case-by-case basis”. Why is there no scientific benchmark to define fetal viability? I wonder how a “for-profit” abortion provider would make this “fetal viability” decision.

“Always allow an unborn child to be aborted at any stage of pregnancy, regardless of viability if, in the treating physician's determination, the abortion is necessary to protect the pregnant woman's life or health.” I understand if a choice must be made between the life of the baby or the mother but what is the definition “health”? Is this an opening for abortions up to birth? Is this an invitation for Ohio to have its own versions of Dr Kermit Gosnell?

One article states about the amendment “some believe is written so broadly that it would allow children of any age to obtain abortions and genital mutilation surgeries without parental consent or knowledge, as well as open the opportunity for courts to interpret the language extremely permissively”.

The article “Ohio’s Disastrous Abortion Ballot Proposal “by constitutional scholars Carrie Campbell Severino and Frank Scaturro states “A proposed Ohio constitutional amendment would make the state into a haven for no-limits abortion and other procedures.” It adds “The Ohio proposal is so broadly worded that it would prevent the legislature not only from requiring the consent of parents before their child pursues a particular procedure, but also from requiring mere notification of parents.”

Note: constitutional amendments override any state statute or law.

Voters research and read the amendment. IVOTERGUIDE.COM contains details on Issue 1 to include arguments for/against, endorsements and financial backing. Also see SEETHELANGUAGE.COM.

Don’t open Pandora’s Box. Vote No on Issue 1.

Robert E Lloyd Jr

Howard, Ohio