The Quickie: OH OH OH It’s Magic! Ohioans Reject Anti-Democracy, Anti-Abortion Ballot Initiative
For Immediate Release: Aug. 9, 2023
Welcome to “The Quickie” — Planned Parenthood Action Fund’s daily tipsheet on the top health care & reproductive rights stories of the day. You can read “The Quickie'' online here.
In today’s Quickie: Ohioans defeat an anti-abortion ballot initiative, abortion providers continue to fight Utah’s abortion ban, and PP partners with Story Exchange to uplift powerful abortion stories.
OH OH OH IT’S MAGIC! OHIOANS REJECT ANTI-DEMOCRACY, ANTI-ABORTION BALLOT INITIATIVE: Last night, Ohio voters sent a powerful message by rejecting an extreme attempt to undermine citizen-initiated ballot measures and democracy itself. With a staggering 3+ million votes cast, Ohioans defeated Issue 1 with a 14 point blowout that crossed political affiliation, age, socio-economic status, and more. Rhiannon Carnes, spokeswoman for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, celebrated the news saying:
"Ohioans saw Issue 1 for what it was — an attempt to deny our families a voice, even when it comes to our most personal decisions. Now, Ohioans will turn their focus to rejecting extremism and government control to ensure families have the freedom to make decisions that are best for them. Ohioans believe that abortion is a personal, private decision that should be up to them and their families without government meddling in their business.…. Our grassroots momentum across Ohio is constantly growing, and we will be working hard every day to ensure their voices are heard in November."
Issue 1 would have raised the threshold for passing citizen-initiated constitutional amendments from 50% of the vote plus one, which has been the standard for more than a century, to 60%. Supporters of the measure specifically placed it on a typically a low-turnout primary ballot in anticipation of the upcoming November vote on abortion rights.
In a few short months, Ohioans will return to the polls to consider a critical constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. Polls indicate that 58% of voters back the pro-abortion rights proposal.
More from The Columbus Dispatch and POLITICO.
ABORTION PROVIDERS URGE UTAH SUPREME COURT TO KEEP ABORTION BAN BLOCKED: Yesterday, the Utah Supreme Court heard oral arguments in abortion providers’ case challenging the state’s trigger ban. Passed in 2020, the law took effect after Roe v. Wade was overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court last year. Following a legal challenge brought by Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, the trigger ban has remained unenforced due to a court order. In addition to outlawing nearly all abortion in the state, the trigger ban would also criminalize health care providers, threatening arrest and criminal fines for providing abortion care. Planned Parenthood Association of Utah, Planned Parenthood Federation of America, and ACLU of Utah released the following statement after yesterday’s argument:
“Today the Utah Supreme Court heard about the devastating consequences Utahns could face should the trigger ban be allowed to take effect. Thousands will be forced to flee their communities for basic health care or carry pregnancies to term against their will. Everyone deserves the right to make their own medical decisions and get the care they need, free from political interference. Patients and providers continue to make this clear, and together, we will use every tool at our disposal to fight these unconstitutional attempts to outlaw abortion and strip Utahns of their fundamental rights.”
Read more from Axios and Deseret News
ABORTION STORYTELLING IS A TOOL FOR CHANGE: The Story Exchange, a non-profit media organization dedicated to elevating women’s voices, published a project on the power of storytelling as a tool for reproductive rights advocacy.
The article features two storytellers, Carolyn, who was forced to travel out of state to end a non-viable pregnancy, and Ash, a transgender person who speaks to the life-saving power of abortion access. As part of Planned Parenthood’s patient storytelling program, both continue to volunteer by sharing their experiences in hopes of affecting change and creating community for those with similar stories.
“The thing that stories do, really, is humanize an issue,” said Tatiana Perkins, Planned Parenthood manager of patient advocacy programs. “We can talk about statistics all we want, but what really changes hearts and minds is listening to somebody talk about their experience.”
Read more here.