Michigan Previews What Will Happen Should Issue 1 Pass in Ohio; Pro-Life, Pro-Woman Protections to be Repealed

“Ohio be warned: The tragic consequences of Michigan’s Prop 3 are coming to fruition less than a year after passage. What is happening to our neighbors will certainly happen here if Issue 1 passes.”

-Amy Natoce, press secretary for Protect Women Ohio

COLUMBUS, OH – Today Protect Women Ohio (PWO) sounded the alarm after Michigan Democrats introduced a suite of bills that repeal numerous pro-life, pro-woman protections based on the constitutional amendment known as Prop 3 approved last November.

On the chopping block are virtually all limitations on abortion through all nine months, including gruesome partial birth abortions, any protections for taxpayers from funding abortions, and the elimination of basic health and safety standards for women. Disturbingly, Michigan Democrats also intend to repeal requirements for abortionists to screen for coercion or report complications, leaving victims of domestic violence or trafficking completely unprotected and any evidence of a crime destroyed.

Following the passage of Proposition 3 last year, pro-life, pro-woman laws are falling by the wayside. Michigan has already removed nearly all informed consent documents from its state website. By introducing this suite of bills, Michigan Democrats hope to formalize these changes so that future administrations cannot revive pro-life, pro-woman protections. Should Issue 1 pass in November, the same process will play out in Ohio.

Press secretary for Protect Women Ohio, Amy Natoce, said, “Because of Prop 3, Michigan has become the wild, wild west where they have allowed radical abortion ideology to override common sense and compassionate medical safety requirements protecting women and children – not to mention parental rights. Ohio be warned: The tragic consequences of Michigan’s Prop 3 are coming to fruition less than a year after passage. What is happening to our neighbors will certainly happen here if Issue 1 passes.”

The ACLU of Michigan has clearly explained, “We must fulfill the promise of Proposal 3, which guarantees the constitutional right to abortion and all decisions related to reproductive health.”

Eliminating parents from critical healthcare decisions is an explicit priority for Prop 3 backers and Governor Whitmer. Much like Issue 1 backers currently say, Whitmer insisted the opposition was lying about parental consent during the campaign; she now refers to parental consent laws and abortion restrictions as “unconstitutional” under Prop 3. Michigan’s informed consent paperwork, which would be eliminated by these bills, no longer includes a question about parental consent for minors, a change the state website attributes to Prop 3.

The Cincinnati Enquirer recently confirmed that what is happening in Michigan will happen in Ohio if Issue 1 passes: “The Ohio Constitution would supersede state law, where most abortion policy is written.”

Backers of Issue 1 and executive director of Pro-Choice Ohio, Kellie Copeland has made recent comments affirming opposition to parental consent laws and the need to “work on” eliminating them. And when asked directly during a July press conference Copeland was unable to rule out that the amendment permits gruesome late term abortions.

“Issue 1 would wipe away existing and future parental involvement laws, cutting parents out of the most important and life-altering decisions affecting their child. Not only that, but the proposed amendment outlaws any protections for women and unborn children, even through the ninth month of pregnancy. This amendment is way too extreme for Ohio,” said Natoce.

Issue 1 would trump any state law, including parental consent requirements or any limits on abortion passed by the state legislature.

Issue 1 is just the latest example of the ACLU’s war on parental rights. Background on the ACLU’s war on parents is available HERE. The ACLU has a long and well-documented history of fighting against parental rights, including in Alaska and Indiana. The ACLU specifically calls out parental involvement on its website, saying it would restrict “teenagers’ access to abortion.” Heritage Action recently released a report and video about the ACLU’s attacks on parental rights in Ohio. In recent weeks, the ACLU has denounced parental notification requirements in schools, and the ACLU of Ohio’s chief lobbyist confirmed that stance on Twitter.

A legal analysis of the extreme anti-parent amendment is available HERE from constitutional scholars Carrie Campbell Severino, President of Judicial Crisis Network, and Frank J. Scaturro, a former special counsel to the House Select Investigative Panel on Infant Lives. 

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Protect Women Ohio is a pro-parent, pro-woman, pro-life coalition dedicated to defeating the ACLU’s extreme anti-parent amendment this November. PWO is made up of concerned family and life leaders, parents, health and medical experts, and faith leaders in Ohio.

To learn more please visit www.protectwomenohio.com.