When I think of Ohio, I usually think of cornfields, manufacturing, or the Cincinnati Bengals. Now, I can add abortion to the list, because voters in the Buckeye State voted for a constitutional right to access abortion services Tuesday, according to an Associated Press race call.
The vote was influenced by millions of dollars from the ACLU:
The election signals a major victory for pro-abortion advocates, including the ACLU, who had pumped tens of millions into the state that Trump carried by 8 points in 2020 arguing that a constitutional amendment was needed to protect abortion access after the Supreme Court's reversal of Roe v. Wade.
Ohio Republican Governor Mike DeWine signaled in October that he was not on board with the radical measure:
It's pretty clear that this constitutional amendment just goes farther, much further than what the average Ohioan approves.
If a voter is comfortable with abortion up until the time of birth, they're probably going to be okay with this amendment — if they're comfortable with parents not being involved in the most important decision their daughter will ever make or certainly has made up until that point in her life. If they're okay with that, then they should vote for this.
A Protect Women Ohio spokesperson, Amy Natoce, claimed out-of-state-influences helped tip the balance. She said:
The ACLU paid out-of-state signature collectors to lie to Ohioans about their dangerous amendment that will strip parents of their rights, permit minors to undergo sex change operations without their parents’ knowledge or consent, and allow painful abortion on demand through all nine months.
Anti-abortion activist, and founder and president of the anti-abortion organization Live Action, Lila Rose, tweeted:
Awful news out of Ohio tonight.
— Lila Rose (@LilaGraceRose) November 8, 2023
License to kill a child in the womb is now enshrined in the state constitution.
Those in favor of the amendment, who like to call themselves "supporters of reproductive rights" rather than "pro-abortion advocates," were celebrating on social media, with many claiming victory over "extreme" Republicans and vowing to continue to take the struggle to states. President Biden took time out of his busy day (one event) to crow about the vote on Twitter/X, with whoever writes his tweets citing “reproductive health” twice in one post without mentioning what that type of “care” actually entails.
This is obviously a defeat for pro-life advocates, but as political commentator Mike Cernovich tweeted, “Americans love abortions.”
Ohio - Trump won it bigly.
— Cernovich (@Cernovich) November 8, 2023
Tonight Ohio Issue 1 passes.
Americans love abortions.
We now have conclusive proof, not that we needed more, why the GOP is underperforming.
It’s not Trump. It’s abortion.
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