Issue 1 backers have been running commercials claiming, “Abortion laws are broken in Ohio” and “Passing Issue 1 is the only way to fix this.” They claim that “The Government” has taken away the right of abortion in the very rare and difficult cases where a medical emergency places the life and health of the mother at risk.

This is not the case in Ohio law. The laws providing for “therapeutic abortions” in Ohio have been on the books for a long time and remain in effect today. Ohio State Employees also have access to insurance coverage for “therapeutic abortions”.

Issue 1 is a proposed amendment to the Ohio Constitution. It will be the highest law in the state and all other laws touching on abortion and the four other “rights to reproductive decisions” created by Issue 1 will have to conform to the language of Issue 1.

Because the Constitution supersedes all statutory law, all the statutes regarding the five new rights proposed by Issue 1 will be subject to review and cancellation. At the current count, Issue 1 creates a collision with at least 50 laws currently on the books in Ohio.

Issue 1 is not the only way to change abortion policy in Ohio. All the current Ohio laws regarding abortion are statutory. Statutes in Ohio can be changed in the following ways.

1. Elected representative can introduce a bill in  the Ohio General Assembly.

2. If the people are not satisfied with the performance of the Legislature, the people can circulate petitions, gather signatures and submit a piece of legislation by initiated petition.

3. If the Legislature refuses to pass the initiated statute, the people can gather another round of signatures and place the proposed law on the ballot. If voters approve the measure, it becomes a legal, binding statute in the Ohio Revised Code.

Each of these three methods require public debate. The current Issue 1 proposal included no hearings, no public debate and authorship of the actual language of the amendment has NOT been disclosed to date.