COLUMBUS—On Tuesday, the Secretary of State’s office certified that petitions for a proposed constitutional amendment to legalize abortion up to birth and revoke existing parental consent and notification laws received enough valid signatures to appear on Ohio’s November ballot. The following statement can be attributed to Protect Women Ohio (PWO) press secretary Amy Natoce:

“Ohioans are waking up to the dangers of the ACLU’s anti-parent amendment and they are terrified—and rightfully so. The extreme amendment places parental rights on the chopping block by permitting minors to undergo abortions and sex change procedures without their parents’ knowledge or consent, removes health and safety protections for women, and allows painful abortion up until birth. PWO will continue to shine a light on the ACLU’s disastrous agenda until it is defeated in November.”

PWO has spent an initial $8 million on television, radio, and digital advertisements to pass Issue 1 in August and protect Ohio’s constitution from out-of-state special interest groups, and to defeat the ACLU's radical anti-parent initiative in November. Since May, canvassers have knocked on more than 105,000 doors educating voters about the ACLU’s extreme amendment.

For months, the ACLU and its allies have lied directly to Ohioans, claiming their dangerous ballot initiative is only about abortion and does not attack parental consent and notification requirements or apply to life-altering sex change surgeries. But PWO is exposing the radical agendas of the ACLU and its out-of-state allies fighting Issue 1 and attempting to hijack Ohio’s constitution.

Background on Issue 1

By increasing the threshold for passing constitutional amendments from a 50 percent simple majority to 60 percent, Issue 1 will protect Ohio’s constitution from out-of-state special interest groups that too often circumvent the legislature and buy their way into the Constitution—like the ACLU is doing in Ohio. Such a change will put Ohio in line with most states. Currently, Ohio is one of only 18 states that allows constitutional amendments to be proposed by outside groups. Of those 18 states, half—including red and blue states—have some form of enhanced requirement for amendments to be adopted.

The hypocrisy of Issue 1’s opponents is on full display. Groups like the ACLU of Ohio, the Ohio Democratic Party, and Planned Parenthood all require supermajorities to amend their bylaws yet oppose protecting Ohio’s constitution. PWO is calling the ACLU and its allies out for their blatant double standard.

Background on the ACLU’s dangerous November anti-parent amendment

This extreme anti-parent amendment 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.