Ohio Issue 1 foes not backing down: “Our children will not go to the highest bidder”

COLUMBUS — Following this week’s passage of Issue 1, twenty-six Ohio legislators issued a joint statement announcing they will be introducing legislation to address Issue 1 debacle. The joint legislative statement says Issue 1 failed to mention any laws that would be required to be repealed.

On Wednesday, State Legislators said Issue 1 was vaguely written in order to deceive the public into passing it. As a result, enacting Issue 1 into law requires deciphering ambiguous intent. “Issue 1 does not repeal a single Ohio law; in fact, it does not even mention one,” commented Representative Bill Dean (R-Xenia). “This initiative is too vague and ambiguous to change anything.”

Pointing to millions of dollars from billionaires outside America that helped fund Issue 1, Representative Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) stated, “Foreign billionaires don’t get to make Ohio laws. This is foreign election interference and it will not stand.”

“If foreign money can be used to buy elections, what’s to stop the Chinese from funding a forced-abortion amendment next?” asked Faith2Action President Janet Folger Porter.  “Our children are not for sale to the highest bidder on a ballot initiative.” 

Janet Porter was instrumental behind the passage of Ohio’s Woman’s Right to Know Law, Parental Consent, Fetal Homicide, Partial Birth Abortion Ban, and the Heartbeat Law. Porter continued, “The Supreme Court in Dobbs established that this is for elected representatives to decide. Just as Missouri legislators negated a stem cell ballot initiative in 2006, we will do likewise.”

“Just as we wouldn’t reinstate slavery by a popular vote, the inalienable right to life cannot be infringed, no matter how much foreign money was spent on false and misleading ads,” said former State Representative Candice Keller, a joint sponsor of Ohio’s Heartbeat Law.

Constitutional Attorney Andy Schlafly, son of the renowned Phyllis Schlafly stated, “Issue 1 violates the right to elect representatives to decide fundamental issues. Ballot initiatives cannot infringe on the inalienable right to life, and the legislature should withdraw jurisdiction from the courts to prevent misapplication of Issue 1 against life.”

State Representative Melanie Miller (R-Ashland) stated, “We will continue to be a voice for every child in their mother’s womb who cannot speak for themselves.” Representative Beth Lear (R-Galena) adds, “No amendment can overturn the God given rights with which we were born.”

Last year Michigan voters approved a similar change to their state constitution. A recent Michigan poll conducted by the Marketing Resource Group clearly shows “voter’s remorse” for those who supported Proposal 3, the deceptive Michigan amendment similar to Ohio’s Issue 1. It revealed sixty percent of voters who said they voted “Yes” on their amendment last fall, support Parental Consent despite voting for the amendment that stripped parents of it.

The poll also showed sixty-five percent of Proposal 3 supporters agree with the twenty-four-hour waiting period to provide women with informed consent, something the amendment for which they voted repealed. In addition, the poll revealed ninety-seven percent of Proposal 3 supporters want abortion facilities to be licensed and inspected by the state to ensure basic public health and sanitation standards, despite voting for the amendment to repeal them.

“Why did people vote for an amendment diametrically opposed to their beliefs? They were deceived, just like in Ohio, where confusing ads intentionally hid and deliberately lied about what the amendment would do,” stated Porter.

To prevent mischief by pro-abortion courts with Issue 1, Ohio legislators will utilize a procedure successfully used in the past. They will seek to remove jurisdiction from the judiciary over the ambiguous ballot initiative. The Ohio legislature alone will consider what, if any, modifications to make to existing laws based on public hearings and input from legal experts on both sides.

“We will withdraw jurisdiction from the courts so that they cannot misapply Issue 1 for the benefit of the abortion industry,” said Representative Gross.

The Bottom Line:

The Bible says in First Corinthians Fifteen, “Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.“

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