Jewish Federation of Cincinnati

Ari Ballaban — In Conversation

Wednesday evening, the Ohio House of Representatives passed a resolution essentially guaranteeing that there will be a special election on August 8th, 2023. This referendum has one purpose: to make it harder to pass constitutional amendments in Ohio. This is a last-ditch effort to stop abortion from becoming a constitutionally protected right in the state, when it has its own vote on November 7th (provided enough signatures are collected and the amendment is certified to be placed on the ballot).

Without question, the legislature’s move is a setback and a disappointment. As I explained on January 26th, abortion access is a consensus issue in our community. It is frustrating–to say the least–that lawmakers were willing to engage in such gamesmanship, changing century-old democratic rules to get their way. I don’t resent their desire to act on what they see as a moral imperative. But, pluralistic tensions in a society like ours are easier to stomach when we all feel like we have an equal opportunity to advocate for our (at times mutually exclusive) values.

No doubt, we have been dealt an unjust hand–a gerrymandered state legislature played fast and loose with the way our constitution is amended, moving the goalposts. At the end of the day, though, that matters not a whit. We, too, must now fight as hard as possible to make sure the values we hold dear are protected. We won’t back down on ensuring women’s rights to bodily autonomy simply because others aren’t playing fair.

Until the start of July, we’ll continue hustling to gather signatures, making certain we get abortion rights on the ballot. Come August, we will vote NO and we will win. And then, in November, we’ll do it all over again–and vote YES–to make our voice heard and see to it that access to abortion is enshrined in our state constitution.