“This is not a party line vote, nor is Issue 1 a Republican or Democrat issue. This is a moral issue and for the Black community in particular, it is a life-or-death matter. Only 13 percent of Ohio’s population is Black, yet 48 percent of abortions in our state are performed on Black women – a tragic and difficult reality that our community cannot ignore.”
- Letter from Ohio Black Faith and Community Leaders

COLUMBUS, OH—More than 100 Black faith and community leaders from across Ohio are speaking out against Issue 1, calling the radical proposed amendment “a life-or-death matter” for the Black community. In an open letter posted today, these leaders urge Ohioans to vote NO on the dangerous ballot measure. 

“[Issue 1] is more extreme than Roe v. Wade, and it will allow for painful, late-term abortions through all nine months of pregnancy – even after an unborn baby can feel pain,” the letter reads. “It will permit our children to undergo abortions without parents knowing. And it will continue to rob generations of Black women and men of the insurmountable joy of parenthood.”

The letter notes that in Ohio, 13 percent of the population is Black, yet 48 percent of abortions undergone by residents of the state are performed on Black women. The group states that Issue 1 will only further Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry’s targeting of the Black community, which began with eugenicist and Planned Parenthood founder Margaret Sanger.

Ohio’s Black faith and community leaders affirm their commitment to life in the womb and beyond, writing in the letter that “[t]ogether, we must send a message to the abortion industry by stopping Issue 1. We must end the targeting of Black babies and instead promote a culture of life.”

During a visit to the Columbus Christian Center last month, prominent faith leader Bishop Patrick L. Wooden Sr. spoke about abortion. His remarks are part of a new digital video released today by Protect Women Ohio, which shows the abortion industry’s history within the Black community and discusses how Issue 1 will further the industry’s radical goal to allow late-term, no-limit abortions.

Background on Issue 1

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.