As AFN has reported, the measure would nullify the state's existing parental consent laws and amend the Ohio Constitution to make abortion legal for any reason at any point in a pregnancy.
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine (R) is speaking out about how extreme Issue 1 is. In a recent interview with Fox News Digital, he described some of the commercials he has seen in the measure's favor as downright false.
"They talk about this will guarantee you get help in regard to a miscarriage. Well, medical assistance is out there," he reminded viewers. "We have hospitals, and they do what they do. So, it's just, I think, a very misleading campaign that they're running."
Amy Natoce of Protect Women Ohio says Issue 1's proponents are well funded, and their advocacy has gotten nasty.
"There are a number of Catholic churches that have been targeted across the state, having their signs stolen or painted," she reports. "The window of a church was even spray painted over. We are seeing just a lot of misinformation, a lot of fear going on right now both in television ads and on the ground, and I think the vandalism is a clear sign of that."
Such tactics are illegal, but so far, no one has been arrested.
Meanwhile, the campaign against Issue 1 is also not slowing down.
"We are keeping our heads up and continuing to run with our messages and speak the truth about what Issue 1 is going to do to this state," Natoce relays. "I know that when people understand that this allows late-term abortion and goes after parents' rights, they will be opposed to Issue 1."
Gov. DeWine agrees.
"This amendment just goes much, much too far," he told Fox. "Even if people are pro-choice and think that abortion should be allowed … up until a certain point, I don't know hardly anybody who thinks that abortion should be permitted all the way up until birth."
If Issue 1 passes, then a 12-year-old pregnant girl, for example, could be taken into an abortion clinic by her molester, where he can eliminate the evidence of his crime. Requiring that parents be notified if their minor daughter seeks or obtains an abortion is there for the girls' protection.
So, Ohio's governor is among the many who are encouraging voters in his state to reject Issue 1 by voting "no" on it.
