Mediaboss Marketing

Lauren Blauvelt| Guest Columnist

Lauren Blauvelt is vice president of government affairs and public advocacy for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and Chair of Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom.

As members of the Ohio Legislature are working to strip abortion rights away from millions of Ohioans, they are also working overtime to dismantle democracy as we know it.

Just last week, an extreme faction of state legislators passed a resolution that could stifle the voices of Ohioans by jeopardizing the ability of citizen-initiated state constitutional amendments to be passed with a simple majority.

More: What you need to know about Ohio's August election to change how constitution is amended

Senate Joint Resolution 2 has now triggered a special election in August where voters will decide whether a supermajority will be needed to amend the Ohio constitution, rather than 50% plus one.

Supermajorities, in and of themselves, go against the foundational American idea of majority rule and one person, one vote. But we also cannot lose sight that this political maneuver is a direct response to a growing movement to protect reproductive rights in the state.

The passage of this extreme proposal is a direct response to the powerful advocacy of Ohioans working to ensure basic health care and bodily autonomy, specifically by keeping abortion legal.Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom, of whichPlanned Parenthood Advocates of Ohiois a part, is driving a ballot initiative collection to enshrine abortion rights into the Ohio Constitution later this year. As abortion patients, funders, providers, and advocates, we represent millions of Ohioans who have made a deep commitment to build community, care, and power in the Buckeye State.

Ohioans overwhelminglysupport access to abortionand deserve the fundamental right to comprehensive health care; they believe in an Ohio where abortion access doesn't depend on your zip code or income.

But Ohios gerrymandered leaders continue to ignore the will of the people by introducing draconian laws that trample on our basic freedoms, and now, eroding their ability to exercise their democratic rights.

Ohio has passedsome of the most restrictive anti-abortion laws in the country. These extreme laws prevent patients from accessing contraception and miscarriage care, and have outlawed access to abortion before many people even know theyre pregnant, all without exceptions to protect patients even when their lives are at risk.

And now, these extreme politicians are pushing for a total ban on abortion.

Anti-choice advocatesknow theyre losing in Ohio and across the country. They see the momentum we are building, and are willing to gut our democracy for their own political gain. Just look at how this bill came together: Ohios right-wing legislators scrambled in the 11th hour to throw a bill together as a last-ditch attempt to try and stop our movement.

They are scared and they should be because we remain undeterred.

Were talking to people every single day as part of the signature collection process, and its crystal clear that Ohioans want the freedom to make their own health care decisions.

Citizens across our state are working to put this critical amendment on the ballot and ensure they not extreme politicians get to make their own reproductive health decisions.

This amendment will put us back in charge of our personal decisions, and stops politicians who think they know what's best for our families. When they are given the chance, they vote for bodily autonomy, for freedom of choice, and for their futures.

While this politically-motivated move is certainly a hurdle, defenders of reproductive choice remain confident that the voices of real Ohioans will be heard loudly at the ballot box.

Until then, and in August when we all head to the ballot box, Ohioans must remain diligent in seeing what this vote is really about: a thinly veiled attempt to endanger the lives of millions by restricting access to fundamental health care.

Lauren Blauvelt is vice president of government affairs and public advocacy for Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio and Chair of Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom.

Continue reading here:
Why will there be a special election in August? Abortion, dismantling ... - The Columbus Dispatch