Conservatives are making the Ohio abortion amendment about trans rights

Source: NBC News

Conservatives are making the Ohio abortion amendment about trans rights

Groups attacking a proposed amendment to enshrine abortion rights in Ohio's constitution are tying it to parental rights restrictions and an expansion of transgender rights.

July 20, 2023, 6:00 AM EDT / Updated July 20, 2023, 6:58 PM EDT
By Adam Edelman

Abortion opponents in Ohio are spending millions on attack ads taking aim at a proposed November ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution.

But their attacks focus on two other issues: transgender rights and parental rights.

Officials with the group behind the ads, Protect Women Ohio, argue that the proposed amendment is intentionally worded to be interpreted to allow minors to obtain abortion care and undergo gender-affirming surgery without parental consent or notification.

Nonpartisan experts say the ads are inaccurate and misleading, while reproductive rights advocates argue that they are misdirection designed to distract voters from protecting abortion rights, an issue on which the public does not side with the anti-abortion movement.

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Read more: https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/anti-abortion-groups-make-proposed-ohio-amendment-trans-rights-rcna94991