Vote Yes on Issue 1 campaign believes families, not government, should make personal decisions about abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights today began airing its first television ad of the campaign in support of the November Issue 1 ballot initiative. The new ad reminds voters that government has already banned abortion in Ohio, with no exceptions for rape or incest, putting women and families at risk. Voting YES on Issue 1 will end this extreme ban and put decisions about birth control, pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion back in the hands of Ohio families.
Click here to watch our first ad, titled “Personal.”
“When we face personal medical decisions, we depend on our doctors, our faith, our family,” the ad states. “And the last thing we want is government making those decisions for us. That’s why voting Yes on 1 is so important.”
The first ad is running statewide in Ohio and takes aim at the existing Ohio abortion ban that outlaws abortion before many women even know they are pregnant — with no exceptions for rape or incest. The ad clarifies the record and highlights the risks associated with the existing ban that Issue 1 seeks to block.
“It ends Ohio’s extreme abortion ban – a ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Issue 1 even protects birth control and emergency care for miscarriages. So Ohio families will always have the freedom to make the most personal of decisions,” the speaker reminds voters.
Extreme politicians in Ohio have already passed one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country, even preventing doctors from acting until the patient is on the brink of death. Last year, some patients were forced to leave Ohio to get the care they needed and others were forced to endure extreme and traumatic health conditions before receiving critical care.
“As a doctor, I know that decisions around pregnancy, including abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care, are personal and private and should be made by women and their families, with support from their faith and physician,” said Dr. Marcela Azevedo, spokesperson for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights. “But here in Ohio, the government is making those decisions for us. They’ve already banned abortion, even in cases of rape, incest, and when a woman’s health could be at risk. Vote Yes on Issue 1 in November to end the Ohio abortion ban and make sure women and families can once again make the decisions that are best for them.”
In 2019, Ohio politicians passed an extreme abortion ban that was blocked from taking effect because Roe v. Wade was still the law of the land. When Roe fell in June 2022, the Ohio abortion ban went into effect causing chaos for Ohio families. Shortly thereafter, the ban was temporarily blocked by a state judge. Now, the Ohio Supreme Court will hear oral arguments on September 27 and “could reinstate a controversial law that bans the vast majority of abortions” according to the Ohio Capital Journal.
If approved by voters on November 7th, Issue 1 would enshrine in the Ohio Constitution the right for Ohioans to make their own reproductive decisions about pregnancy, abortion, birth control, fertility treatment, and miscarriage care. It would also allow for reasonable limits on abortion after fetal viability, with protections and regulations to ensure the health and safety of patients.
Complete factual support and citations can be found here.
