Ohio Issue 1 is a proposed state constitution amendment to have the right to reproduction decisions. Issue 1 passed on Nov. 7, 2023 with 56.6% of voters and will take effect on Dec. 7, 2023. It can’t be applied to abortion-related lawsuits until the ultimate authority of the Republican-majority Ohio Supreme Court reviews laws to determine if the new constitutional standard aligns with the state constitution.
Ohio Republican state representatives Jennifer Gross, Bill Dean, Melanie Miller and Beth Lear have drafted legislation proposing to strip authority from courts who are reviewing cases to implement the Issue 1 abortion amendment. The drafted legislation states, “The Ohio General Assembly shall have the exclusive authority over implementing Ohio Issue 1…All jurisdiction is hereby withdrawn from and denied to the Courts of Common Pleas and all other courts of the State of Ohio.” The state representatives said, “To prevent mischief by pro-abortion courts,” the drafted legislation would dismiss all current lawsuits, court claims and court decisions implementing the passed Issue 1 amendment.
State Rep. Bill Dean said,“The Ohio legislature alone will consider what, if any, modifications to make to existing laws based on public hearings and input from legal experts on both sides…Issue 1 doesn’t repeal a single Ohio law, in fact, it doesn’t even mention one…The amendment’s language is dangerously vague and unconstrained, and can be weaponized to attack parental rights or defend rapists, pedophiles, and human traffickers.”
The university’s College Republicans is a student organization based on common patriotic conservative beliefs, but values open discussions of on-going political issues.
The stances regarding Issue 1 vary from life begins at conception to women having the right to have an abortion up until viability, yet they all agree that ballot outcomes should be respected.
Dario Scott, junior, said, “Ohio is a Republican red state. I think that the last November election showed that abortion is not really a political issue, but more of a moral issue on both sides.”
As a response to the drafted legislation, Aidan Wright, junior, said, “I think we’d all agree that the idea that we would arbitrarily restrict access from the judiciary so that they can’t set this into effect would be like that’s a crazy proposition… this is what the people that are supposed to represent us are doing with their power.”
Colin McCombs, junior, said, “This is kind of the whole idea of the Republican Party and being a conservative is that we’re supportive of democracy and hearing what people have to say and voicing their opinions and then being able to reflect those opinions in the legislation that’s enforced. So I think if we were to go back those judicial means to kind of hold down those thoughts and I think we’re going against exactly what we stand for.”
Scott said, “I just think it’s stupid because the people have spoken, even if I disagree, I don’t always completely disagree with people, but I, I think that you have to value your citizens’ opinions.”
Wright said, “It’s actually wild, like it baffles me. I have not met a single Republican who supports the kinds of things that representatives have been saying. It’s so embarrassing and out of touch to blatantly go against the will of what the Republicans are saying.”
First-year Jesus Gomez, said, “It paints the Republicans a certain way, really discredits the Republicans and making them look really terrible and like a bunch of radical extremists.”
