Protect Women Ohio (PWO), the organization against Issue 1on the November ballot, wants to remove the ability of a woman to make decisions about her own body.  They want to “protect” women from adulthood. 

     PWO claims that Issue 1 would “Outlaw protections for the most vulnerable and would eliminate basic health and safety regulations in place to protect women.”  It does not. Rather, Issue 1 guarantees that a woman may access the medical care she needs when she needs it, without having to leave Ohio. It also guarantees that a woman may access birth control so that she can decide when she wants to start a family. PWO believes she is incapable of making these decisions and must be “protected” from ever having to make difficult decisions.

     Issue 1 guarantees that a victim of rape will not have to bear a child of the rapist and be connected to the rapist for the rest of her life.  Issue 1 also guarantees that a woman suffering a life threatening miscarriage should receive prompt and effective medical care.  Current Ohio law actually endangers some women, yet PWO is not asking the legislature to change current law to “protect” victims of rape or women suffering miscarriages. If their goal is protection, why are they not speaking out about these dangers?

     There are situations in which women do need protections that are not in place today.  Women should be protected from intimate partner violence, from rapists, and from sexual assault. We have laws banning these practices, but they are not enforced rigorously.  Women continue to be attacked and assaulted, with limited legal action taken against the assaulters. Where is Protect Women Ohio when women are violently attacked?  Their “protections” seem strangely narrow.

     I believe that every woman is capable of making decisions and should be trusted to make decisions about her own body.

     Vote Yes on Issue 1!