Ohio’s ‘Issue 1’ amendment could allow abortion up to birth for any reason

Ohio’s ‘Issue 1’ amendment could allow abortion up to birth for any reason

On November 7, Ohio will vote on Issue 1, which would enshrine abortion as a “right” within the state constitution. An effort to increase the margin needed to amend the Ohio constitution to a supermajority of 60% of voters – which was, confusingly, also titled “Issue 1” and which would have made the pro-abortion amendment being voted on this November more difficult to pass – failed at the ballot box in August. Consequently, the proposed amendment can be enacted by a simple majority of the vote.

Issue 1, if approved, would “establish a state constitutional right to ‘make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to’ decisions about abortion … and allow the state to restrict abortion after fetal viability, except when ‘necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health,’” according to Ballotpedia. 

Although this sounds as if lawmakers could still restrict late abortions, the language of Issue 1 is vague and somewhat deceptive. In actuality, it is the abortionist who determines whether the fetus is “viable,” and they clearly have a financial incentive to make a negative determination. 

What’s more, so-called “health” exceptions have historically been broadly interpreted to include emotional and psychological health. This opens the door to abortion at any gestational age “if in the professional judgment of the pregnant patient’s treating physician it is necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health,” which even includes her emotional well-being. The woman’s “treating physician,” again, would likely be the abortionist being paid to kill the preborn child.

Yet another problem with the language of the initiative is its use of the term “individual” rather than “adult” or “woman.” Current Ohio law requires a parent or legal guardian to give consent for a minor to obtain an abortion. However, critics have warned that the initiative, which states that “Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” could abolish Ohio’s parental consent law and allow children to obtain abortions without consulting or notifying their legal guardians.

In other words, Issue 1’s vague language could permit women and girls of any age to obtain abortions up to the moment of birth for virtually any reason in Ohio. Only six other states and the District of Columbia currently impose no gestational limit on abortion.

LATE ABORTIONS – DANGEROUS, UNNECESSARY, AND DISTURBINGLY COMMON

Politicians and public figures often claim that late abortions are exceedingly rare and almost never elective – that they are only committed for health reasons. However, neither of these claims is true. 

The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute estimates that about 108,000 preborn children are killed annually by abortions committed past the 13th week of pregnancy. Nearly 12,000 of those are committed at or after the 21st week of pregnancy, at which point a child may be able to survive outside the womb – and some have. This is equivalent to almost 296 preborn children killed daily past the first trimester, and nearly 33 per day killed at or after the 21st week of gestation.

Only 1.5% of all abortions are sought for fetal abnormalities or health-of-the-mother reasons. While this statistic applies to abortions committed at all gestational ages and not late abortions specifically, pro-abortion researchers have found that the reasons cited by women seeking late abortions do not differ significantly from those cited by women seeking abortions earlier in their pregnancies. The Guttmacher Institute has also found that the vast majority of abortions committed after 13 weeks in pregnancy are purely elective.

Abortions committed past the first trimester have increased complication rates, and are significantly more dangerous for the women who seek them. Even abortionists who commit second- and third-trimester abortions have openly admitted this. A National Institutes of Health study found that a woman’s risk of death from abortion increased by 38% for each additional week of gestation past 8 weeks. 

Late abortion procedures are also disturbingly barbaric. In the second trimester, a procedure called dilation and evacuation, or D&E, is the standard abortion practice. In this procedure, the abortionist rips the child apart and removes him or her, limb by limb, before crushing the child’s skull. 

In the third trimester, induction abortion is the standard procedure. It generally requires 3-4 days to complete. In this procedure, the abortionist typically injects feticide, such as digoxin, into the preborn baby through the woman’s abdomen or vagina – this kills the child. The woman’s cervix is dilated over the course of the next few days, and at some point, she will deliver a highly developed, dead child. If feticide is not used, the child might be born alive.

CURRENT STATUS OF ABORTION IN OHIO

Although Ohio passed a law which restricted abortions after a fetal heartbeat can be detected – approximately six weeks into pregnancy –  that law is currently enjoined by the courts. Consequently, abortion is currently legal in the state of Ohio until the 22nd week of pregnancy.

By week 22, a preborn human being is at an advanced stage of development. Children at this age have highly sophisticated brains, glandular systems, and gastrointestinal tracts. They even have circadian rhythms and experience dreams. Premature babies as young as 21 weeks have been surviving outside the womb with increasing frequency as medical technology advances.

There are multiple Ohio facilities that openly commit abortions up to the 22-week limit, when the preborn child’s development is quite advanced. Some of these facilities have horrific track records. Preterm Cleveland, for example, has been responsible for injuring dozens of women, two of whom, Lakisha Atkins and Tia Parks, subsequently died from their injuries.

Women’s Med Center of Dayton has a similarly lengthy record of patient injuries. It was ordered to close in 2019 by the Ohio Department of Health, but remains open nonetheless. This facility was founded by Martin Haskell, creator of the now federally prohibited dilation and extraction abortion method – otherwise known as D&X or partial birth abortion – in which a living preborn child is partially delivered before the abortionist fatally punctures the child’s skull. Martin Haskell is an alleged financial backer supporting the effort to pass Issue 1.

CONCLUSION

Last year, Michigan voters passed Proposition 3, which amended that state’s constitution to include a so-called right to “reproductive freedom.” On October 19, the Michigan State Senate passed a package of legislation aimed at repealing existing common-sense state abortion-related protections, including the requirements for written consent from the mother and a 24-hour waiting period. Licensing regulations for abortion facilities as well as a rule preventing publicly funded colleges and universities from referring for abortions would also be repealed if the legislation passes in the Michigan House. Governor Whitmer has already indicated that she will sign the package into law if it reaches her desk.

Ohioans should take note of developments in Michigan, as the passage of Issue 1 would undoubtedly have similar effects in Ohio.

At a minimum, Issue 1, if approved by voters, would massively expand late abortion in Ohio, with the potential to increase the number of injuries and even deaths of abortion-seeking women. It would also allow for a dramatically increased number of preborn children – many of whom would be capable of surviving outside the womb – to be killed for any reason.