Communications Director for
@AbortionForward
(formerly Pro-Choice Ohio) and the 2023 Ohio abortion rights ballot initiative. gabriel
@abortionforward
.org
This is the biggest case for DC statehood that's ever been made. No government entity — especially a national capital — should be powerless to defend their own territory.
This afternoon a young woman tragically lost her life. We do not know all of the details. There is body-worn camera footage of the incident. We are working to review it as soon as possible. BCI is on the scene conducting an independent investigation . . .
Everyone asks "What state's abortion ban is THE MOST EXTREME?!?!" But this question fails to recognize that abortion is an individual thing. When a patient is blocked from accessing abortion, the restriction that blocked them was the "most extreme" for them.
I’m sick of a few extremist politicians trying to claim that rural Ohio voters want the government to make our decisions for us.
#VoteNoOnIssue1
on August 8.
When Ohio has this large of an educational shortfall and lawmakers respond with bills about drag shows, it could not be more clear we have a failure of leadership in state government.
Almost three-fourths of Ohio eighth graders were not proficient in math and nearly two-thirds of Ohio fourth graders were not proficient in reading in 2022, according to a new study.
(
@OhioCapJournal
)
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine’s very first bill signed jnto law was to protect guns. Don’t listen to another word from him on the shooting in Dayton. He had his chance. 43 years in public office... he’s had his chance.
This is a good move. Raised Catholic, I took CCD lessons until I was confirmed... on Tuesday nights. There's zero reason for LifeWise to be removing public school students from a building for religious programming during the middle of the school day.
BREAKING: The Ohio Supreme Court, in a 4-3 decision, largely upheld ballot language for Issue 1/redistricting amendment. Republicans on the court ruled:
"What these rules require falls within the meaning of 'gerrymander.'"
This abortion section is Gov. Pritzker’s speech was so spot-on that our staff got texts during it asking if we wrote it for him. We did not. He understands the issue better than any other male elected official I’ve ever heard discuss it.
Take notes, guys. This is how it’s done.
Abortion is not a dirty word. And when we treat it like one, we harm women. It’s time for politicians to get out of women’s doctors’ offices, and focus on the things that will protect our communities.
Safe and legal abortion is good.
Divorce is good.
Root canal is good.
Heart stents are good.
Paying off debt is good.
These are all solutions. They're not fun, but they're better than the alternative. Just because someone might not like them doesn't mean they should be banned.
Last year, Frank LaRose wrote ballot language intentionally worded to try to influence voters to not support the abortion rights Issue 1. He later admitted that he let anti-abortion extremists play a role in the process away from public view.
Frank LaRose is bad for democracy.
NEW: See the proposed ballot language for the Ohio redistricting amendment.
@CitizenMapsOH
says this wording would rig the election. Ohio Secretary of State's office says it's fair and factual. via
@DispatchAlerts
NEW: The Ohio Senate president has floated the idea of a 15-week abortion ban following voters decisively choosing to keep lawmakers out of their reproductive care.
⬇️
@WEWS
@WCPO
@OhioCapJournal
Kasich signed 21 attacks on abortion access and reproductive health care funding.
If your headline starts "KASICH VETOES..." you're missing the bigger point.
LaRose’s inappropriate behavior is especially problematic for an elected official. Ohio voters should be horrified that anyone in government would abuse the power of his office to try to punish voters, especially a Sec. of State.
.
@FrankLaRose
used his position as Secretary of State to rewrite the ballot language in a clear attempt to mislead voters.
He lost in August and he lost this week.
Just to clarify: Under Ohio law, if a wife is intoxicated or under the influence of drugs, her husband is immune from being prosecuted for raping her. Seriously.
"If we elect Mike DeWine, abortion will be criminalized in Ohio, no question." —
@NanWhaley
laying out a very clear picture of the risks that come with another DeWine term.
Gov. DeWine's column expresses a lovely sentiment, but most of the white supremacy hate-speech I hear comes from the elected members of his own party. What's the difference between neo-Nazi's protesting a drag brunch and state legislators pushing anti-trans bills? I can't tell.
I cannot believe that during a pandemic they held a vote on bingo, took a three hour dinner break, and then came back for guns and abortion. I haven't heard one word on health care, small businesses, rent assistance, or unemployment.
It should be front page news when state legislators attack Trans kids. Shame on Rep. Lear and EVERY member of the Ohio House and Senate who is joining her in voting for these disgusting bills
#HB68
#HB183
Today’s the day Ohio is requiring candidates to file to run in 33 state senate and 99 state house districts… even though none of those districts actually exist yet.
@EqualityOhio
@PPAOhio
@KYCOhio
@transohio
@JMiracleOH
Ohio Children's Hospital Assn. using the committee to reject HB 68: HB 68 uses false information to strip away parental rights and impose non-scientific restrictions on pediatric health care specialists.
Anytime you see whitewashed concrete walls in video of the Ohio Statehouse, you can tell they're hiding something in the basement. This is the same tiny room Republicans hid the final hearings on the six-week abortion ban.
You might not be able to tell from the video, but they've selected one of the smallest, cramped hearing rooms for this hearing that would affect 11 million Ohioans. Republicans are literally trying to hide their horrible plans in the Statehouse basement.
Monday preview: group backing amendment to replace Ohio Redistricting Commission with 15 member panel of Republicans, Democrats and independents who aren’t politicians submits signatures to put it on Nov. 5 ballot - will need 413,487 valid ones
Rep.
@AnitaSomaniMD
is SHREDDING the Republican agenda against science, including the current attacks on Transgender citizens in Ohio. House Bill 68 is a symptom of our state's broken legislature and broken political environment.
Before we get much farther past Election Day, I think it’s important to note that John Kasich did not deliver Ohio for Joe Biden. John Kasich is not some magical midwest moderate healer. He’s much more conservative than your average American and should be rejected in 2024.
The entire $20,000,000 expense to taxpayers could have been avoided if you simply put the issue on the November ballot. You’re the worst kind of government waste.
Just as I predicted in my April Senate testimony: The August Special Election had an amazing turnout of 38% and more than 3 million Ohio voters made their voices heard on Tuesday. Our state is great because of our engaged, patriotic citizens, something we should all be proud of
Hey friends, I know everyone's super excited to sign the petition to protect abortion rights in Ohio. To answer the 1,374 📲 messages you're all leaving me every hour:
📢📢📢The petitions are not yet available to be signed. You're not missing out. We'll let you know ASAP.
Mason residents spoke, VOTED LIKE A BOSS, and put in a new city council to repeal the anti-abortion ordinance passed earlier this year.
Well done, friends. Well done.
Key point: Bernie Moreno wants a national ban on abortion that would block the new Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment passed by voters as Issue 1 in 2023.
Bernie Moreno is too extreme for Ohio.
As an alumni, I'm very disturbed that
@OhioStatePres
would allow police to disrupt and arrest participants in a peaceful protest. This space and this discussion is what the university is for. Drop the charges.
🚨GOOD NEWS! Our petition to advance and protect Ohio abortion rights was officially certified by Attorney General Yost.
Next up, the Ohio Ballot Board has ten days to review the amendment.
Donate today to help our campaign in the next phase! ⬇️
📲
When Kasich ran for president in 2016, he blocked Planned Parenthood from funding for HIV tests in Black communities. He's going to run again in 2024, and many of us in Ohio don't want the Democratic Party to be associated with the horrible policies he imposed on our state.
If you are attacking Democrats for allowing John Kasich to speak at the Democratic National Convention, then you have completely forgotten what it means to be an American. You don't care about unity any more than Trump cares about unity.
Lebanon, Ohio residents are asking why city council prepared an anti-abortion ordinance without talking to voters, and who they expect to pay for the lawsuit the council wants to sign the city up for. Good questions that deserve answers.
"Voting YES on Issue 1 ... is the only way to protect Black women across the state and ensure that all Ohioans are able to make the best medical decisions for themselves and their families, without government interference."
Ohio municipalities considering anti-abortion ordinances:
Lebanon - passed
Mason - repealed
Troy - refused to introduce
Celina - voted down
London - voted down
That's four city councils who looked at the mess in Lebanon, listened to residents and law directors, and said "Nope."
Ballot drop boxes could be eliminated in future Ohio elections if a new bill is signed into law. Republican Senator Niraj Antani of Miamisburg recently introduced Senate Bill 184 to do just that.
At this moment, the bill awaits committee assignment.
Some amazing activists in this front page photo — very glad the
@DispatchAlerts
team captured the energy and passion of the young people who showed up and did the work.
#VoteYesOnIssue1
Maureen O’Connor and Yvette McGee Brown: “This election showed once again what happens when politicians sit in cozy, safe districts designed to insulate them from the people. Next November, we, the citizens of Ohio, will take back our state.”
Republicans in the Ohio House seek to distance themselves from Sen. Huffman's racist remark by taking a vote in support of... *checks notes* the Confederate Flag.
Capital Law Prof. Mark R. Brown: "There should be no disagreement over Issue 1′s impact on parental rights. It doesn’t have such an impact. Issue 1 says nothing about parental control, does not override parental rights, and could not, even if it tried."
Rep.
@Scott_Wiggam
has made a mess of this hearing. You can't limit representatives' ability to ask questions at the heart of a matter important to 11 million Ohioans and claim to be holding a serious committee process.
@TheOhioChannel
To add insult to injury, the committee released new rules that will:
1. RESTRICT testimony to invitation only;
2. Limit the number of witnesses and the time they can present;
3. Limit questions by committee members.
These last-minute rules are designed to silence Ohioans.
"She's 13" is trending because people are again forgetting that the personal lives of children should remain private, even if they have famous parents. Gossiping about them online isn't journalism; it's horribly inappropriate and should be deleted.
Oh, so the GOP's answer to the new Constitutional Laws voters overwhelmingly passed is to gerrymander FURTHER. Tracking this as 66R-33D ... Even MORE unbalanced than today's historically bad map.
Second time a Columbus highway has closed for a shooting in 2 weeks. You'd think the disruptions to commerce and industry would cause Republicans to rethink their fervor for guns.
“These extreme anti-abortion politicians know they are out of step with Ohio voters and can’t win unless they lie, cheat, and rig the rules,” Gabriel Mann, a spokesperson for the pro-Issue 1 campaign, Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights
While you were sleeping, the Ohio General Assembly sent TWO abortion bans to
@JohnKasich
. Anything less than TWO vetoes is an unacceptable attack on women in his state.
#StopTheBans
These parents really saved the lives of their own children and many more Trans youth who will need this care in the future. Sitting in that hearing room listening to their stories was incredible. So proud of all of them.
DeWine says he has listened to people on all sides of this bill, including parents of trans kids, before coming to this decision. He says parents need to have the right to decide medical treatments for their children.
Grateful for everyone in this photo, but also the dude behind the camera. Mike McGovern has been busting his butt to get
#Issue1
passed. Keep kicking ass, Mike!
BREAKING: Ohio abortion rights activists file lawsuit today over "deceptive" language approved by GOP-controlled state Ballot Board
The change "aims improperly to mislead Ohioans & persuade them to oppose the amendment" that would legalize abortion
They may try to say they support rape exceptions, but the truth is that NONE of the 31 abortion bans and reproductive health care funding restrictions signed by Kasich & DeWine ever had exceptions.
Frank LaRose just tweeted a photo of himself with Seth Drayer of Created Equal. They’re the group that puts explicit bloody photos outside schools and records conversations with students. This group targeted doctor’s homes in Dayton. LaRose should not dignify their garbage.
VOTE FOR
✅ JENNIFER BRUNNER
✅ TERRI JAMISON
✅ MARILYN ZAYAS
FOR OHIO SUPREME COURT!
(The others are a bunch of lawbreakers and should be kicked out of government entirely.)
During House session yesterday,
@RepGalonski
had an amendment to make it illegal to rape your wife. (It's legal in Ohio if she's drunk or incapacitated. Seriously.)
These are the 58 Republicans who rejected making spousal rape illegal:
We have been clear about respecting and protecting peaceful protest. We also must keep city streets open to the public to travel and protect residents from lawlessness including the drag racing, fires and injuries in recent nights.
@RachelCoyleOhio
It's only a scandal because USDOJ made it one by taking a side in a political dispute. DeWine didn't break any laws and neither did
@HouseholderOH
I got to collect my first signature for the
@OH_ReproFreedom
campaign! At an event at the Broad Street United Methodist Church, my first petition was signed by Rev. Dan Clark, the Ohio Director of Faith in Public Life. Grateful that
@FPLaction
has endorsed the initiative!
In two decades of watching legislative hearings, I've never seen someone step up and begin by saying the committee heard from their mother in the previous hearing, but now they'll hear the truth. Great job, Stevie.
The Ohio Reproductive Freedom Amendment was explicitly described to voters as the path to remove barriers to abortion access, inc. 24-hour waiting periods. Voters were not unclear on their support for everyone to be able to access this care without gov't interference.
#YostSucks