(LifeSiteNews) — On this week’s episode of The Van Maren Show, Jonathon sat down with pro-life leader Mark Harrington to discuss the recent Ohio referendum and its implications for a proposed constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion “rights” up until birth.
Harrington, founder and president of Created Equal, kicked off the show by reacting to the results of the August 8 referendum, known as Issue 1. Ohioans were asked to vote “Yes” or “No” on raising the threshold to amend the state constitution from a simple 50 percent plus one majority to a 60 percent requirement.
The “No” side won by a 57 to 43 percent margin, which was trumpeted as a pro-abortion victory ahead of November’s vote on the proposed abortion amendment.
Harrington explained to Jonathon why the “Yes” side, backed by pro-lifers, failed to achieve victory:
First of all, it’s harder to pass a constitutional amendment when you’re on the ‘Yes’ side. You’re changing the status quo. Generally speaking, voters are loathe to do that… The other thing is that I just don’t think Ohioans bought the idea that there was a big enough problem, and that our solution was it, was the proper solution… I don’t think the Republican Party came with enough money and effort to push this over the finish line. And I just think… we lost on the messaging. The other side basically made this an issue of voter rights, that we were taking away the individual right to vote.
But now all attention shifts to the November ballot initiative, the outcome of which will have significant consequences for Ohio and other parts of the United States fighting over abortion law since the fall of Roe v. Wade.
Harrington stressed that a winning pro-life strategy for the November vote will focus on the repugnance and injustice of late-term abortion, as well as the possibility that the amendment would “[open] the door to wiping out parental rights when it comes to abortion or, for that matter, maybe even ‘gender reassignment’ surgeries.”
“I think hopefully the pro-life movement is waking up to the notion that if we don’t win Ohio, we’re in trouble,” he said. “We’re 0 for 6 now when it comes to constitutional amendments. And we’ve got to get our act together and make this a national referendum on abortion, and that if we can defeat it here, we can… have our beachhead to which we can take this message across the country. But if we lose here, the reverse is true.”
“Right now, the Ohio heartbeat bill is being held up by the Ohio Supreme Court. If we win in November, it’s highly likely that’ll go right into effect. And then we’ve got a strong, strong anti-abortion law in effect and being enforced in the state,” he added.
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