On Nov. 7 Ohioans will head to the polls to vote on Issue 1, a constitutional amendment that will define how they value life. It ultimately will place America’s values on the ballot.
The Supreme Court’s reversal of Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113 (1973), in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization triggered a previously-enacted Ohio heartbeat statute that set upper limits for abortions at six weeks.
In response, Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins enjoined enforcement of the heartbeat law and limited abortion at 22 weeks.
Issue 1, the amendment up for a vote, is titled ”The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety,” and if voters don’t bother reading beyond that they may be inclined to vote yes.
But according to Rev. Brian Williams, senior pastor at Hope City House of Prayer in Columbus, it’s a wolf in sheep’s clothing.
Williams is one of more than 100 Buckeye State pastors and faith leaders within the black community that formed Choose Life Ohio to get the word out on the measure.
"It basically licenses independent physicians to autonomously make the judgment call on whether they want to abort the child all the way up to delivery date with no oversight," he told Newsmax.
That assessment was shared by Ohio attorney Mehek Cooke during a debate on Issue 1 that aired last week.
"At the end of the day, we have to go back to what Issue 1 truly is," she said.
"It is putting our women at risk if we don’t vote no, because we will get rid of all of our commonsense health and safety standards."
Im addition to permitting abortion for any reason and at any stage of the pregnancy, the amendment would permit it at nearly any age, given that, "parental consent for minors is essentially removed from this amendment as well," according to Williams.
Cooke made the same observation during the debate that aired Thursday: “And it eviscerates parental rights.”
The most common argument made by pro-abortion activists is that the procedure may be necessary to save the life of the woman during her pregnancy.
However, A 2022 Charlotte Lozier Institute legal and medical analysis indicated that all 23 states with strong anti-abortion laws permit the medical treatment and procedures, including abortion, to save the life of the mother.
It should be an easy call for Ohioans, given that it’s more of a human rights issue than it is a political one.
"One thing I wanted to make clear to everyone I talk to is that our stand is not political but is a human rights issue, it’s a moral issue," Williams said.
"And whether you consider yourself a Republican, a Democrat or independent, people of good will should be standing for babies."
Cooke agreed that defeating Issue 1 should be a no-brainer.
"It will allow for partial-birth abortions when a baby can feel pain," she concluded at the debate. "That is not where Ohio wants to be today."
It’s not where America wants to be today, either, but it’s where we seem to be heading, according to recent events.
Since the Oct. 7 terrorist attack on Israel’s civilian population — targeting women, infants, and the elderly — the loudest, most strident voices have been anti-Israel.
Shashank Joshi, defense editor for The Economist, observed that "ISIS is an an entirely valid comparison in terms of theatrical sadism and cruelty."
He then quoted The Jerusalem Post: "Among the images were those of charred hands with marks that revealed where the victims’ hands were bound behind their backs with metal wire before being burned alive."
The forensic team examining the victims could tell they were burned alive because of the soot found in their trachea.
Joshi added, "To every October 7th truther who has, for two weeks, denied the first-hand testimony that was already available and published, here is the head of Israel's national forensic medical centre. 'Many bodies, including those of babies, are without heads.'"
Despite the horrors, Americans are calling for death to Israel, and one couple was even caught destroying posters depicting American hostages held in Gaza.
It turns out the man is a strategist at Human Factors International, and the woman is a social worker at Urban Dove, which serves New York City’s youth.
Despite the 1,000+ Israeli dead, the U.S. State Department reached out to Palestine, saying, “Our message to Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, and all around the world is clear: we see you, we grieve with you, and we mourn every loss of innocent life.”
How did we get to this dark place where widespread rape, murder and torture means so little?
It started by calling an unborn baby a "clump of cells."
Ohio: Vote no on Issue 1 Nov. 7.
Take the first step to America rejoining the human race.
Michael Dorstewitz is a retired lawyer and has been a frequent contributor to Newsmax. He is also a former U.S. Merchant Marine officer and an enthusiastic Second Amendment supporter. Read Michael Dorstewitz's Reports — More Here.
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