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After failing to pass a referendum that would have made it more difficult to change the state’s constitution this summer, pro-life Ohio residents are rallying to keep a ballot measure that would enshrine the right to abortion in the Ohio state constitution from passing in November. A March for Life in the Buckeye State will bring the national March for Life president to the state capitol on Friday, October 6.
Marchers will gather at the State Capitol building in Columbus to peacefully advocate for pro-life protections for women and the unborn. Speakers and advocates will educate attendees on the dangers of the proposed amendment, which, advocates say, would allow late-term abortions right up until birth, cancel parental consent protections for minors, and erase basic health and safety standards for women when it comes to abortion.
“Just one month after this March, Ohioans will be voting on an abortion-lobby led constitutional amendment which, if approved, would open the door to abortion up until the moment of birth in Ohio,” said Jeanne Mancini, President of March for Life Defense and Education Fund, who will speak at the event.
The Ohio March for Life will start with a pre-rally concert at 10am at the State Capitol building, followed by a rally at 11 and the March at noon.
Among other speakers at the rally will be Bishop Earl Fernandes of the Diocese of Columbus.
In an open letter to Catholics of Ohio, Cincinnati Archbishop Dennis Schnurr urged the faithful to vote against the ballot initiative, formally known as the Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety. He warned that if enacted, it would amend the Constitution of Ohio to effectively:
- Put women at risk. This amendment would enable elimination of some of the most basic, fundamental safety regulations on abortion clinics, including the current requirement for an abortion to be performed by a licensed physician.
- Threaten parental rights. The vague language in the amendment opens the door to anyone under 18 having an abortion, or even beginning cross-sex hormone treatment, without parental consent or notification.
- Allow abortion through nine months of pregnancy. The amendment provides guidelines such that a healthy, fully-formed infant in the womb who otherwise could be delivered with no issues would still be a candidate for a surgical dismemberment abortion.
Schurr argued that rather than expand abortion access, legislation should seek to help pregnant women overcome the challenges of pregnancy, including financial strain, concerns for the health of the baby, and a lack of support.
Pro-lifers in Ohio considered the August referendum a loss, when the vote to require a supermajority failed by a narrow margin of 57% to 43%, with some 3 million voters casting ballots.
