abortion rights

Tuberville opponents plant hundreds of signs outside U.S. Capitol in protest of blockade

BY: - September 21, 2023

WASHINGTON — More than 300 signs dotted the lawn outside the U.S. Senate Tuesday, each bearing the name of a military nominee blocked this year by Republican Sen. Tommy Tuberville of Alabama in protest of a Pentagon abortion policy. Multiple Democratic senators delivered comments Tuesday at the sign installation organized by the progressive VoteVets Political Action Committee, which […]

Ohio Sec. of State LaRose’s office move amid U.S. Senate candidacy raises ethical questions

BY: - September 15, 2023

Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose has decided it’s a good idea to both oversee Ohio’s U.S. Senate election as the state’s chief elections officer and house part of his campaign for the seat in the same building. But the arrangement, which LaRose has done little to explain, raises serious questions about potential conflicts of […]

Abortion rights groups ask Ohio Supreme Court to order full amendment text for November ballots

BY: - September 7, 2023

In the fight against Ohio Ballot Board language that reproductive rights groups say is deceptive, an attorney has asked the Ohio Supreme Court to order the full text of the proposed amendment to be used on November ballots. The Ohio Ballot Board approved language last month for voters to see on their ballots that took […]

Not just Ohio: Biased language is the hot new tactic to thwart ballot measures

BY: - September 1, 2023

Abortion-rights supporters filed a lawsuit Monday against what they call “deceptive” ballot language produced by Ohio officials for the state’s closely-watched upcoming referendum on the issue. But it isn’t just the Buckeye State that’s lately seeing fierce battles over the once-obscure topic of ballot language. In recent weeks, officials in Missouri — where another abortion-rights measure is […]

COMMENTARY

LaRose pushes unfair, inaccurate language for voters on November Ohio reproductive rights amendment

BY: - August 29, 2023

Play fair or play dirty. Issue 1 showed Ohio voters how state Republicans play when they can’t persuade. Extremists know most Ohioans support the right to abortion within limits. The outright ban on abortion gerrymandered pols seek is wildly unpopular. Convincing rational minds otherwise is pointless. So Ohio’s GOP overlords cheat to win.  Lawmakers rushed […]

COMMENTARY

November vote could give Ohio among the strongest abortion protections in the region

BY: - August 14, 2023

Last week, Ohio voters rejected Issue 1. This was a constitutional amendment put forth by abortion opponents in the state legislature to make it harder for Ohio voters to enshrine abortion protections in the Ohio Constitution. After this vote, the next big policy decision for Ohio around abortion protections will be the “Ohio Right to […]

Local, national groups praise Issue 1 defeat, buckle up for November fight

BY: - August 10, 2023

They’ve finished the battle, now it’s time for the war. That’s the sentiment on both sides of the Issue 1 fight, who have now pledged to come out of the ballot measure’s defeat and move on to the abortion referendum in November. Both, unsurprisingly, expect to come out ahead. “Whether it’s reproductive rights, voting rights […]

Majority of Ohioans favor amendment protecting abortion rights, latest poll says

BY: - July 25, 2023

The latest release from a Suffolk University/USA Today poll conducted earlier this month indicates a strong majority of Ohioans support a reproductive rights amendment. Importantly, just as past polls have suggested, that backing falls at 58%, just short of the 60% threshold that could be necessary for passage if Issue 1 is approved by Ohio […]

How will two hot-button ballot initiatives impact Ohio’s November turnout?

BY: - July 17, 2023

Heading into this year’s election season, Ohio voters could wind up voting on two hot button issues at the same time. Election officials are currently combing through petitions for an abortion rights amendment and a recreational marijuana statute that could both go before voters in November. Received wisdom holds that those hot button ballot issues […]

Advocacy groups file lawsuit against Idaho’s ‘abortion trafficking’ law

BY: - July 13, 2023

Several advocacy organizations and a civil rights attorney filed a lawsuit against Idaho Attorney General Raúl Labrador’s office Tuesday alleging a law that criminalizes the act of transporting minors across state lines to obtain an abortion violates constitutionally protected rights and is too vague to be enforceable. The federal lawsuit asks the Idaho District Court […]

COMMENTARY
Abortion rights demonstrators at the Minnesota state Capitol earlier this year. Photo by Grace Deng/Minnesota Reformer.

The shifting narrative of the abortion debate

BY: - July 4, 2023

When someone is trying to sell you something, pay attention to the language they’re using. My long years in advertising taught me that. We’re a year-out from the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision overturning the longstanding precedent of Roe v. Wade, and the constantly shifting arguments of the anti-abortion side of the debate have been catching […]

Ohio Chamber won’t discuss its allies in effort to lock down state Constitution

BY: - June 13, 2023

The Ohio Chamber of Commerce is supporting a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that has huge implications for such issues as abortion, gun control, and even democracy itself.  But Steve Stivers, president and CEO of the chamber, isn’t willing to talk about those things as his organization joins the effort to make it much […]