Republicans Want To Keep Abortion Off Ballots

Elections over the past two years, and particularly last fall's mid-terms, have shown the forced birth Republican party that their position on women's reproductive rights is a big loser. Even their Christofascist-backed cult leader the Malignant Loser is aware of the peril of pushing for restrictions on or the elimination of choice in reproduction. Some in the forced birth party are slowly realizing the danger of pushing their agenda in elections, so they're trying to keep it off the ballot or tinker with approval levels. From the New York Times:

"Voters pushed back decisively after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, approving ballot measures that established or upheld abortion rights in all six states where they appeared.

Now, with abortion rights groups pushing for similar citizen-led ballot initiatives in at least six other states, Republican-controlled legislatures and anti-abortion groups are trying to stay one step ahead by making it harder to pass the measures — or to get them on the ballot at all.

The biggest and most immediate fight is in Ohio, where a coalition of abortion rights groups is collecting signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November that would prohibit the state from banning abortion before a fetus becomes viable outside the womb, at about 24 weeks of pregnancy. That would essentially establish on the state level what Roe did nationwide for five decades."  (our emphasis)

Ohio Republicans are trying to make the passage of such constitutional amendments require a supermajority of 60 percent of the legislature, which is already gerrymandered to ensure Republican control. They make no secret of doing this to block pro-choice constitutional amendments:

"Republicans in Ohio have said openly that their efforts to make ballot amendments harder to pass are aimed at blocking abortion rights. They are putting their measure on the ballot in August, typically a time of low turnout. It will not include the word 'abortion,' which abortion rights supporters say will make it hard to engage their voters."  (our emphasis)

In other Republican-controlled states like Arkansas and North Dakota, forced birth legislators and governors are making it harder to get pro-choice initiatives enacted by adjusting voting procedures or thresholds for passage. They're going against the popular will and have to hide behind confusing, weasel-worded amendments and arcane procedures. In time, with new ranks of voters increasingly rejecting their agenda, they'll pay the price for their reactionary zealotry.