Ohio constitutional amendment legalizing abortion passes

[Mountain Man]

One of the major issues in the recent election in Ohio was a constitutional amendment to make abortion legal in the state. Liberal groups poured countless millions of dollars into the Issue 1 campaign and flooded the state with deceptive advertising saying that the amendment was about a right to privacy and keeping the government out of one's personal affairs. However, anybody who bothered to read the actual text of the amendment should have quickly realized that it ghoulishly legalizes abortion at any time, for any reason, up to the time of birth. The amendment also ties the legislature's hands from enacting meaningful restrictions on abortion in the future because it empowers any physician to simply overrule the legislature on a whim, and the only way the amendment can be overturned is with the uphill battle of another constitutional amendment.

The proposal passed with 57% of the vote. This is a sad day for Ohio, and it's times like this when I think the United States of America may be too far gone morally to ever recover.

Here is how the amendment appeared on the ballot:

1.JPG

[Sparko]

It says that they can't abort if the baby is viable unless the health of the mother is at risk.

I guess they have wiggle room as to what constitutes "a health risk"

[seer]

I guess they have wiggle room as to what constitutes "a health risk"

Like a migraine...

[Bill the Cat]

Codified murder. Yay Ohio.....

[Mountain Man]

It says that they can't abort if the baby is viable unless the health of the mother is at risk.

I guess they have wiggle room as to what constitutes "a health risk"

Exactly. I know a lot of abortion proponents want to stretch that to include mental health. The wording is deliberately vague to allow as much latitude as possible when interpreting the amendment.

[Diogenes]

The downward trajectory of the West and the ever present feeling of "this can't be real" kept reminding me of the phrase "the days of Lot" and made me rethink my own mocking of "fundies".

[Mountain Man]

The downward trajectory of the West and the ever present feeling of "this can't be real" kept reminding me of the phrase "the days of Lot" and made me rethink my own mocking of "fundies".

I think we just assumed that morality and right thinking would always be the default for our society, but dark forces in the US have been aggressively fighting for decades to make evil the dominant force, and we were simply not prepared to fight back. The Church failed its commission, and we've lost so much ground that will likely never be recovered.

[Diogenes]

I think we just assumed that morality and right thinking would always be the default for our society, but dark forces in the US have been aggressively fighting for decades to make evil the dominant force, and we were simply not prepared to fight back. The Church failed its commission, and we've lost so much ground that will likely never be recovered.

The only caution I would add is I do believe the Church became Pharisees. No amount legislation can make one godly and hypocrites found to have gay lovers (and even those like John Hagee and Gingrich) damaged the testimony of the Church.

[seanD]

The downward trajectory of the West and the ever present feeling of "this can't be real" kept reminding me of the phrase "the days of Lot" and made me rethink my own mocking of "fundies".

I want to assume judgement will be harsh and swift if it weren't for the fact this country was already on a trajectory of a coming economic tsunami that will be a sight to behold.

[oxmixmudd]

It says that they can't abort if the baby is viable unless the health of the mother is at risk.

I guess they have wiggle room as to what constitutes "a health risk"

Yes. That simply doesn't translate to abortion at any time for any reason. And it avoids women whose lives are in real danger from the pregnancy from being forced to carry the baby unsafely, even at mortal risk, because of overly restrictive and punative laws driven by a fanatical aversion to abortion regardless of the risk to the mother from the pregnancy.

[oxmixmudd]

Exactly. I know a lot of abortion proponents want to stretch that to include mental health. The wording is deliberately vague to allow as much latitude as possible when interpreting the amendment.

It must give sufficient latitude to avoid doctors being afraid to act in the best interests of the mother. When you try to legislate how medical decisions must be made, you always do more harm than good. At some point you either trust the judgement and integrity of doctors or you create an oppressive system that has no capacity for compassion or for dealing with extenuating circumstances for which a law can never be well enough written to accommodate.

[Mountain Man]

It must give sufficient latitude to avoid doctors being afraid to act in the best interests of the mother. When you try to legislate how medical decisions must be made, you always do more harm than good. At some point you either trust the judgement and integrity of doctors or you create an oppressive system that has no capacity for compassion or for dealing with extenuating circumstances for which a law can never be well enough written to accommodate.

Read the amendment, ox. It essentially amounts to no restrictions on abortion whatsoever, allowing it to be performed at any time for any reason, up to the point of birth. It's sickening. And, no, I don't trust the integrity of physicians who work for organizations like Planned Parenthood to not take advantage of the deliberately vague wording of the law to perform abortions on demand. You seem to think we can trust in man to be inherently good when you as a Christian really should know better.

[Diogenes]

I want to assume judgement will be harsh and swift if it weren't for the fact this country was already on a trajectory of a coming economic tsunami that will be a sight to behold.

Judgement would be as simple as allowing things to play out and allow an internal collapse.

[Bill the Cat]

Yes. That simply doesn't translate to abortion at any time for any reason.

Yes it does. "Health of the mother" includes mental health of the mother. You seem to be under the delusion that it only means imminent danger to her life.

And it avoids women whose lives are in real danger from the pregnancy from being forced to carry the baby unsafely, even at mortal risk,

These situations are beyond exceedingly rare, and have always, even before RvW, been allowed to happen. This is an intentional lie by the pro-death cult to fool gullible suckers into supporting abortion on demand by proxy.

because of overly restrictive and punative laws driven by a fanatical aversion to abortion regardless of the risk to the mother from the pregnancy.

"Overly restrictive"... ... Gullible sucker... You've become a useful fool for them Jim....

[Mountain Man]

Yes it does. "Health of the mother" includes mental health of the mother. You seem to be under the delusion that it only means imminent danger to her life.

Not just mental health. The term is left undefined in the amendment and can therefore mean anything anybody wants it to mean.