With last week's defeat of Issue 1, pro-abortion activists in the Buckeye State are emboldened that they can successfully convince a simple majority (50%-plus-one) of voters to amend the state constitution and enshrine abortion into law in Ohio. That is precisely the objective of an initiative that will be on Ohio's November ballot.
The pro-abortion initiative on the ballot is titled "Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety." But Tom Zawistowski, executive director of the Ohio-based We the People Convention, is confident the pro-life side can win in November.
Zawistowski contends voters were confused during last Tuesday's vote to raise the threshold for an amendment to 60% – which played right into the hands of those who opposed Issue 1.
"Quite frankly, there's actually very strong scientific studies that show that just by being able to vote no, you already have a substantial advantage … because people, when they don't know which way they really want to vote, they vote no because it's a safer bet," he says.
But in Zawistowski eyes, there is no confusion about the pro-abortion initiative.
"Here's the important thing: the vote in November is much more clear [sic] – Do you believe in abortion up to the time of birth or not? Yes or no – that's very clear. [And] the answer in Ohio is no. Ohio is very, very conservative," he emphasizes.
And Zawistowski tells AFN that abortion is just part of the initiative.
"The other part of it is: Do you believe that parents should have no say in whether a minor daughter gets an abortion or, God forbid, gets transsexual mutilation surgery?" he explains. "This amendment that they put up for November basically allows that to happen. The answer in Ohio to that [also] is no."
Ohio Right to Life has described the November ballot issue as an "extreme anti-life, anti-parent amendment from the ACLU."
