Coming off a loss in Ohio to increase the threshold for constitutional amendments to pass, SBA Pro-Life America is placing the blame at the feet of Republicans who “bury their heads in the sand” on the issue of abortion.
On Tuesday night, the anti-abortion movement in Ohio, through Issue 1, was defeated in its attempt to stop a November pro-abortion rights ballot measure from passing by increasing the threshold from a bare majority to 60% to enact a constitutional amendment.
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Opponents of the upcoming ballot measure to enshrine abortion access in the state constitution also say it is written so broadly that it will allow Ohioans of any age to receive both abortions and transgender medical interventions without the consent or knowledge of their parents.
The ballot measure route is a tactic pro-abortion rights activists are using across the country in states that were able to enact abortion protections for the unborn. Abortion is also likely to become a top issue for Democrats in the 2023 and 2024 elections as they hope to win state houses, retain the presidency, and keep the Senate, which retaining the seat of Sen. Sherrod Brown (D-OH) will be key.
Many Republicans blame their sub-par returns in the 2022 election on the overturn of Roe v. Wade, but the divide among conservatives is considerable on the question of how to address the issue of abortion.
One contingent of Republicans and conservatives believe the anti-abortion argument can be a winning message in elections but that too many candidates are afraid to talk directly about it. On the other side, some Republicans fear the country has become too committed to abortion, as there has been virtually unfettered access since 1973, making it a losing issue at the ballot box.
The divide will make its way into elections at every level, and anti-abortion organizations are sounding the alarm for Republicans now.
“Republicans must stop hiding from the topic of abortion. They will be confronted with it whether they like it or not,” SBA’s vice president for communications, E.V. Osment, told the Washington Examiner. “Democrats are crystal clear — abortion will be a primary part of their campaign in the 2024 elections. If Republicans do not go on offense with an affirmative pro-life message, their Democrat opponents will wrongfully paint them as extreme, and they will lose.”
While the anti-abortion organization cited “millions of dollars of dark money” that entered the Buckeye State to influence the election, SBA stated in a reaction to Tuesday’s loss that “tragically, some sat on the sideline.”
“The silence of the establishment and business community in Ohio left a vacuum too large to overcome,” SBA added. “So long as the Republicans and their supporters take the ostrich strategy and bury their heads in the sand, they will lose again and again.”
Ohio’s pro-abortion rights measure, which is heavily backed by the American Civil Liberties Union, will appear on November’s ballot, but it is not the only state activists are looking to circumvent the legislature with similar efforts.
Maryland and New York will have constitutional amendments appear on their ballots in 2024, and Florida, Missouri, and South Dakota have similar measures that have yet to be certified for next year. By contrast, some states like Pennsylvania, Iowa, and Nebraska have amendments blocking the procedure or stripping the “constitutional right” to abortion.
In 2022, there were six constitutional amendments addressing abortion — in California, Michigan, Vermont, Kansas, Kentucky, and Montana — and in every case, the pro-abortion rights side won.
Democrats have celebrated the success of abortion access on the ballot, with President Joe Biden praising the defeat of Issue 1 as a win for democracy and women’s rights.
Tom Shakely, the chief engagement officer at Americans United for Life, backed the sentiment that the conservative movement is not doing enough on abortion, saying, “Passive or purely reactive strategies will not work.”
“State ballot initiatives in pro-life states are being weaponized by monied special interests, and the reality is that the pro-life movement has been flat-footed in responding to the pro-abortion movement’s cynical tactics,” Shakely said in a statement.
In order to “win hearts, minds, and votes” on the issue of abortion, Osment explained to the Washington Examiner, Republicans will have to speak to voters in terms of “love and help” for both mother and child.
“The pro-abortion side can never speak that way. The very nature of abortion demands that mom must be pitted against child,” she said, adding that pro-family policies like tax credits, parental leave support, and other resources often provided at pregnancy resource centers can help mitigate the perception that abortion is the answer to an unplanned pregnancy.
Osment also pointed to the scientific argument, which shows that unborn children can feel pain at 15 weeks, saying Republicans must “define your pro-life position and support reasonable national pro-life protections.”
SBA’s standard for any presidential candidate is supporting a 15-week national protection. They have recently slammed both President Donald Trump and Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) for their unwillingness to support the limit.
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Contrasting this position with the “extreme Democratic position,” which Osment said does not support “a single limit they would put on abortion.”
“They are caving to the abortion industry’s stance of abortion on demand until birth, paid for by the taxpayer, which is overwhelmingly out of step with the majority of Americans,” she concluded.
