Different laws and perspectives of people have been issued abortion rights. A proposed amendment in Ohio is pushing for a community with more access to abortion procedures.'
Two Ohio-based advocacy groups, Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, are pushing to include a state constitutional amendment on the November 2023 ballot.
An Amendment that Would Eliminate Restrictions on Abortion
According to National Review, the amendment would eliminate most restrictions on abortion and sex-change surgeries, among other consequences. The Ohio Ballot Board approved the proposal, allowing the groups to collect signatures to put it on the ballot. Although many headlines have focused on the addition of a right to abortion in the state constitution, the amendment goes beyond repealing Ohio's heartbeat law, which restricts abortions after six weeks but makes exceptions for the health of the mother.
If passed, the amendment would ban restrictions on abortion or other reproductive procedures for adults and minors. It would also remove parental consent and notification requirements for minors seeking such procedures, eliminate patient health protections, and lift limits on late-term abortions.
Requirement to Qualify
The Ohio Ballot Board has approved the language for a citizen-led ballot initiative that guarantees access to abortion by adding an amendment to the Ohio Constitution. In the report by Dayton Daily, to qualify the proposed amendment for the November ballot, the groups behind it must collect more than 400,000 valid signatures from Ohio voters by July 5.
Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom plan to collect at least 700,000 signatures. The groups have been preparing for this moment since June 2022. They have trained hundreds of volunteers to begin circulating petitions in communities across the state to ensure comprehensive reproductive health care, including abortion, for every Ohioan.
Also Read: Pope Francis' Words on Abortion Misrepresented by Biden, Critics Label it 'Fake Catholicism'
Different Stance and Reasons for Passing of the Amendment
Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights is training volunteers to collect signatures for a proposal related to abortion in Ohio. According to the article in Cleveland News, Dr. Amy Burkett, an Akron-area OB/GYN with the organization, mentioned in an interview that they will start their work as soon as possible, perhaps even that same afternoon.
Meanwhile, the Ohio Ballot Board's Republicans, such as Secretary of State Frank LaRose and state Sen. Theresa Gavarone, clarified that their vote on Monday was focused on whether the proposal should be divided into separate ballot questions than whether the proposal had merit. Although Gavarone expressed that she was horrified by the idea of the amendment being included in the state constitution, she still voted in favor of the procedural aspect, saying that the vote was focused on whether the proposal should be one question or more.
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, a Republican, took a similar stance when he certified a petition summary for the proposed amendment, stating that he had a legal obligation to certify it as long as it met the legal requirements.
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