Valley lawmaker proposes Ohio constitutional amendment to keep abortion legal
Ohio Democrats plan to introduce a state constitutional amendment they say would guarantee reproductive freedom in Ohio in the wake of a leaked U.S. Supreme Court draft opinion that indicates the court will overturn Roe v. Wade.
Rep. Michele Lepore-Hagan, D-Youngstown, and House Minority Whip Jessica E. Miranda, D-Forest Park, said in a news release the amendment would ensure Ohioans can obtain surgical and medical abortion services and have the right to access and use over- and under-the-counter contraceptive devices and medications.
Assistant Minority Leader Nickie J. Antonio, D-Lakewood, and Sen. Sandra R. Williams, D-Cleveland, are expected to introduce companion legislation in the Senate.
“If we don’t act to protect Ohioans’ right to bodily autonomy, Ohioans will lose the ability to control their reproductive lives,” Lepore-Hagan said. “I will not stand by and allow political extremists to take us back to a time where individuals were unable to make their own health care decisions and access the care they need in their communities. No one should be forced to carry a pregnancy against their will. I am standing up for Ohioans who deserve all the safety and benefits that come with access to birth control and legal abortions.”
Democrats lean on a 2019 Quinnipiac poll that showed 61% of Ohioans agreed with the Roe v. Wade decision to allow access to abortion.
“Banning access to reproductive health care is extreme government overreach that will put Ohioans’ lives in danger,” Miranda said. “As a sexual assault survivor, it makes me sick that we have to continue to fight to have control over our own bodies. A majority of Ohioans across the political spectrum support the ability to access abortion. This is not a partisan issue — all Ohioans deserve the right to make the private health care decisions that are best for them.”
The road to passage could be difficult, though, with an Ohio House and Senate dominated by Republicans.
State constitutional amendments, when proposed by members of the Ohio General Assembly, require a three-fifths vote. Once passed by both the Ohio House and Senate, the language is filed with the secretary of state. It must be received 90 days prior to an election before it is then placed on the ballot.
The Supreme Court has confirmed the draft ruling on a Mississippi case leaked to Politico is true, but its decision has not been rendered and is not expected until late June or early July. The draft indicates the court could overturn two landmark abortion cases, Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey.
That decision would impact House Bill 598, a trigger bill that would ban doctors from performing medication or surgical abortions in the state.
Currently, abortions are banned in Ohio after six weeks.