Ohio receives millions in funding from out-of-state leftists for pro-abortion Issue 1.
Pro-Abortion Campaigns in Ohio Make Last-Ditch Efforts to Enshrine Radical Abortion Measures
With just days before Election Day, pro-abortion campaigns in Ohio are making last-ditch efforts to get people to vote “yes” for the state’s Issue 1 ballot proposal, which would enshrine radical abortion measures into the state Constitution. Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights (OURR), the pro-abortion campaign behind this ballot initiative, has received millions of dollars in financial support to do so from national, out-of-state organizations.
According to NBC4, OURR has “raised more than $39.2 million this year through mid-October and spent $26.2 million,” including more than $20 million in expenses for digital and broadcast advertisements favoring the ballot initiative.
This includes multimillion-dollar donations from prominent groups such as the Sixteen Thirty Fund, a leftist group based in Washington, D.C., that works to “advanc[e] equity and racial justice” and “[confront] climate change,” which donated $5.3 million. Open Society Policy Center, a lobbying group connected to leftist billionaire philanthropist George Soros, donated $3.5 million to the campaign.
Other donations include $2.2 million from the ACLU, $2.2 million from The Fairness Project, $1.5 million from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and $1.5 million from Oklahoma billionaire Lynn Schusterman of the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.
OURR has received donations from other individuals, including New York billionaire Michael Bloomberg, who donated $1 million back in September. Oklahoma billionaire Gwendolyn Sontheim, Abigail Wexner — the wife of Ohio billionaire Les Wexner — and Gov. Jay Pritzker of Illinois are among the other prominent figures to shell out money for this campaign.
Enshrining Abortion in the State Constitution
So what exactly are these organizations and individuals supporting when they donate to the campaign favoring Issue 1? As The Federalist’s Jordan Boyd explained, this initiative “is a deliberately vague ballot proposal that decrees ‘every individual has a right’ to ‘reproductive decisions’ regardless of age or trimester.”
Some argue that should the proposal pass, Ohio still could “prohibit abortion after fetal viability.” But due to the general language of the proposal, it “nullifies any such limit so long as a doctor deems abortion necessary for a woman’s health, a standard that is left open to interpretation,” Boyd explains.
In other words, these organizations are donating millions of dollars to a campaign pushing for a ballot initiative that would enshrine abortion into Ohio’s Constitution, including after viability so long as it’s framed as “necessary for a woman’s health.”
Intertwined Abortion Network
What’s even more staggering is that these out-of-state donors will not even see Issue 1 on their own ballot come Election Day. As previously mentioned, Sixteen Thirty Fund is based in Washington, D.C., and The Fairness Project, Open Society Policy Center, and the ACLU are based in D.C. and New York too.
Knowing that these groups and individuals are donating millions to a campaign in support of a ballot initiative they will not even vote for shows how intertwined the pro-abortion network is (Kansas experienced the same massive out-of-state funding for a pro-abortion initiative last year). Whether the Ohio proposal passes will not affect their own states’ outlook on abortion.
Groups based in New York are already located where radical abortion policy reigns. As stated plainly on the New York state website, “you can get an abortion up to and including 24 weeks of pregnancy. After 24 weeks, you can still get an abortion if your health or pregnancy is at risk.”
In supporting Issue 1, which would successfully spread this sort of policy to Ohio if passed, these organizations and prominent figures are neglecting to recognize the dignity of the human person that begins at conception. Abortion after viability, under the guise of a doctor’s discretion, violates the right to life preborn children have and brings them to a violent, painful death.
Taking this into consideration, it is up to the pro-life movement to educate those in Ohio — and throughout the nation — on the realities of abortion, the dignity and rights children have in their mother’s womb, and that women facing unplanned pregnancies have a community that will show them true love and support them when they need it most. Through this, accompanied by prayer, we move closer to when ballot proposals like Issue 1 will never see the light of day.
How does the language of the Issue 1 ballot proposal potentially undermine any restrictions on abortion, even after fetal viability?
Efforts to enshrine radical abortion measures in Ohio’s state Constitution are intensifying as pro-abortion campaigns make their last-ditch attempts to sway voters. The Issue 1 ballot proposal, which has been widely controversial, is being heavily supported by Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights (OURR), a pro-abortion campaign that has received substantial financial backing from national, out-of-state organizations.
According to NBC4, OURR has raised over $39.2 million this year, with $26.2 million already spent. The campaign has focused a significant portion of their budget on digital and broadcast advertisements supporting the ballot initiative. These financial contributions include multimillion-dollar donations from influential groups like the Sixteen Thirty Fund and the Open Society Policy Center. Other notable donors include the ACLU, The Fairness Project, the Planned Parenthood Action Fund, and individual philanthropists like Michael Bloomberg and Gwendolyn Sontheim.
The implications of Issue 1 are significant. The initiative seeks to enshrine abortion as a constitutional right in Ohio, without any restrictions on age or trimester. Although proponents argue that abortion could still be prohibited after fetal viability, the vague language of the proposal undermines any such limit. As long as a doctor deems an abortion necessary for a woman’s health, the proposal allows for abortion to be performed even after viability, essentially nullifying any restrictions.
What is particularly concerning is that these out-of-state donors will not even be affected by the outcome of Issue 1 on their own ballots. The Sixteen Thirty Fund, for example, is based in Washington, D.C., and other organizations like The Fairness Project and Open Society Policy Center also operate outside of Ohio. It begs the question as to why these entities are pouring millions of dollars into a campaign that will not directly impact their own communities.
The issue of abortion is undeniably contentious, and it is essential to have open and respectful discussions about it. However, the question remains: should out-of-state organizations have such influence over a state’s constitutional matters? It brings into question the integrity of the democratic process and whether this massive influx of funding distorts the will of Ohio voters.
As Election Day approaches, it is crucial for Ohioans to be well-informed about the potential consequences of Issue 1. Regardless of personal beliefs on abortion, it is vital to consider the implications of enshrining such measures in the state Constitution. The decision at the ballot box will shape the future of abortion legislation in Ohio and perhaps set precedence for other states facing similar debates.
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