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Gov. DeWine is trying to trick Ohio voters with vague promises on abortion ban [1]

['Daily Kos Staff']

Date: 2023-10-30  

Early voting is underway in Ohio, with abortion rights on the ballot. Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, who signed a six-week abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest, is staunchly opposed to Issue 1, the measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution, and he seems worried.

DeWine is now suggesting that voters should reject Issue 1 because he’ll get the rape and incest exceptions added to the state’s existing six-week abortion ban (which is currently held up in the courts). Pinky promise! And hey, if he doesn’t get that done, voters can always come back later and vote for additional rights.

“It is clear in the last year of listening to my fellow Ohioans that the vast, vast majority of Ohioans feel there should be an exception for rape and incest. That needs to go into the law,” DeWine told ABC 6 in Columbus last week.

Mind you, DeWine wasn’t talking this way until it was clear the measure was poised for a win. A new poll finds 55% support for Issue 1, and it seems like DeWine must be convinced that polling is right. He also certainly wasn’t acting like a guy ready for compromise (not that putting meaningless exceptions into a six-week abortion ban is a compromise) last year when he reappointed the head of Ohio Right to Life to the state board that can revoke doctors’ licenses. There is no reason to trust this guy on abortion rights. None.

DeWine’s argument that this is a no-harm, no-foul situation—“If the legislature doesn’t come up with something that is acceptable to a majority of Ohioans, we can go back to the ballot,” he said—is absurd. Ballot campaigns require huge amounts of time and money. It’s an insult to the intelligence of Ohio voters to say, in effect, “Now that backers of abortion rights have collected signatures and organized and advertised and are on the brink of a victory, let’s scrap this thing on the promise that the same people who passed a six-week ban with no rape or incest exceptions will do the right thing at this late date, and take a do-over later on if we disappoint you.”

That wasn’t his only insult to their intelligence, though. ”If we vote ‘no’ on [Issue 1], then we have the opportunity to come up with something that is acceptable to the majority of Ohioans,” DeWine claimed. Of course, if the state’s voters vote yes on Issue 1, then … that suggests it was acceptable to the majority of Ohioans. Funny how that works.

Don't let DeWine's dishonesty carry the day. Donate now to stop the GOP from banning abortion in Ohio!

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/10/30/2202500/-Gov-DeWine-is-trying-to-trick-Ohio-voters-with-vague-promises-on-abortion-ban?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=top_news_slot_1&pm_medium=web

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