Ohio Pro-Parent Group Slams Left-Wing Orgs Fighting Against Issue 1

A pro-parent group called Protect Women Ohio (PWO) released an advertisement on Wednesday slamming the coalition of far-left organizations fighting against Issue 1, a ballot initiative set to be voted on in the August special election that would raise the threshold to pass amendments to the state constitution from 50 percent to 60 percent.

If Issue 1 passes in the August 8 special election in Ohio by a simple majority, a radical abortion amendment pitched by left-wing groups like the ACLU of Ohio will likely have a harder time passing in the November 2023 election.

That abortion measure contains overly broad language and makes no differentiation between minors and adults, instead opting to use the term “individual.” It also states that “individuals” have a “right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on: contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion,” causing some Ohio parents and legal scholars concern that the bill could eliminate parental rights and allow minors to obtain abortions and even sex mutilating procedures and cross-sex hormones without their knowledge.

Proponents of Issue 1 say the amendment will protect Ohio’s constitution for out-of-state special interest groups that “too often circumvent the legislature and buy their way into the constitution,” like the local affiliates of national pro-abortion groups pushing the abortion-on-demand amendment.

“Currently, Ohio is one of only 18 states that allows constitutional amendments to be proposed by outside groups. Of those 18 states, half – including red and blue states – have some form of enhanced requirement for amendments to be adopted,” PWO noted.

PWO, which has spent millions advertising against the radical abortion-on-demand amendment, announced a $3 million advertising campaign on Friday in support of Issue 1. The first 60-second video, titled “Caught,” is airing on digital platforms across Ohio and features social media posts from the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and URGE attacking parental consent and notification requirements, and claiming abortions and sex changes are one and the same.

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“The ACLU’s agenda is clear: to hijack Ohio’s constitution by fighting Issue 1, strip parents of their rights, and permit minors to undergo sex change operations and abortions without their parents’ knowledge or consent,” said Molly Smith, PWO board member. “The ACLU and its allies have been lying directly to Ohioans’ faces for months and trying to run away from their extreme agenda. But we have the receipts, and we’re holding them accountable by voting ‘yes’ on August 8.”

PWO further pointed out the “hypocrisy” of Issue 1 opponents in a document detailing how groups like ACLU of Ohio, Planned Parenthood, and the Ohio Democratic Party all require supermajorities to amend their bylaws, even while they protest changing the threshold for the state constitution.