Dear Editor,
As citizens, we all want to base our voting decisions on our values and on facts, not fear.
Unfortunately, the opposition to Issue 1 is spreading false information designed to make us afraid.
Below are the facts about Issue 1.
First, Issue 1 is “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety.”
The proposed Constitutional Amendment is solely focused on the right and freedom for women to make their own reproductive. Changing one’s gender is NOT a decision about reproduction, so this argument is irrelevant.
Second, the opposition would like you to believe that parents will no longer have a say in decisions related to reproductive medical care of their children.
This is also wrong. In fact, Ohio law strongly protects parental rights regarding medical treatment for their children. You can find these rights delineated by the Ohio Bar Association.
Issue 1 does not change these laws. And this is as it should be.
Here’s an analogy: the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution guarantees the right to free speech.
However, that right comes with restrictions. For example, we can’t yell ‘fire’ in a crowded theatre.
Issue 1 guarantees the right to reproductive care. But for girls under 18, they would still need parental permission to receive that treatment.
Third, opponents of Issue 1 seek to label it as “extreme.”
However, Issue 1 merely re-establishes the right established over 50 years ago in the Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wade decision.
It was based on the belief that the government has no role in abortion until there is fetal viability.
As Knox County citizens, surely, we can respect each other enough to accept differences in our beliefs and values around abortion and other reproductive care.
As we vote on Issue 1, however, please vote based on the facts – the actual language of the amendment – and not on false, fear-based arguments.
I will be voting yes because women and their spouses, not the government, deserve the right and the freedom to use their good judgment and make the right choices for themselves, their bodies and their families.
Nancy Bevan
Gambier, Ohio