Fact-checking the ‘fact-checkers’
Letter to the Editor,
Organizations claiming to be neutral with just the desire to give you the “facts” on Issue 1 have lied to you. They will tell you this bill does not take away parental consent and has nothing to do with what they call “gender-affirming care.” Let’s just look at the legal language in the bill.
“Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care and abortion.”
Notice it says “every individual,” not adult or woman. This is vague and has no age restrictions. Notice the language “reproductive decisions.” Is that defined? What is a reproductive decision?
A legal definition would be anything pertaining to sex and sexual organs. It’s really not hard to see how this bill opens the door for legal battles concerning gender surgeries and hormone treatments to minors. Those could easily be argued in court as reproductive decisions, and once again, every individual has this right, according to the legal language, not just adults.
Furthermore, the legal language says “including but not limited to,” which is vague with no written legal limits. It’s not hard in the present culture to see how many crazy avenues this bill opens the door to. What some people call sex work could be considered a reproductive decision in a court of law, so it opens the door for legal prostitution, without age restrictions by the way, and this bill would prevent any legal recourse. “The State shall not, directly or indirectly, burden, penalize, prohibit, interfere with, or discriminate against an individual’s voluntary exercise of this right.”
If an adult can convince a minor to sexual consent and the minor claims it’s his/her reproductive decision, this bill could really do a lot of bad things.
Even if you are not in favor of Ohio’s laws, this is not your answer. The classic liberals who once said “safe, legal and rare” need to wake up. This is not your bill. This legalizes abortion up to five months of pregnancy, the general time of what people call viability. It allows abortion all the way up to birth if a medical person says it’s needed for the “patient’s life or health.” Notice it also says “health,” which legally can mean emotional health and mental health. Are you fine with third-trimester abortion for someone’s emotional health? Should a baby get a syringe of poison inducing a cardiac arrest to save the mother some emotional health when she can put the child up for adoption?
And for those insinuating people like me are being dishonest about this bill having other ramifications, it’s really the bill itself using false scare tactics.
There are very few pro-life people trying to limit contraception. We want it available. It prevents unwanted pregnancies, which prevents abortions. That’s fluff in the bill to scare you. Few are against fertility treatments. We want people who want children to have children. Who’s trying to limit miscarriage care? The other side is the real culprit of false scare tactics. Look at the bill, read it yourself and please vote no on Issue 1.
Meghan Wilson
Strasburg