Washington, D.C. – Today, Concerned Women for America Legislative Action Committee (CWALAC), the nation’s largest ’public policy women’s organization, warns Ohio voters of a dangerous amendment drafted for the November 2023 ballot which would completely eradicate parental rights, erase gender distinctions, and remove parental involvement in their children’s health as well as overturn Ohio’s Heartbeat Bill that prevents late term abortions.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) drafted the proposal that would amend Article I of the Ohio Constitution by adding Section 22, titled “The Right to Reproductive Freedom with Protections for Health and Safety.” Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, a radical abortion coalition formed by the ACLU, filed more than 700,000 signatures which the Secretary of State certified today for the November 7 election ballot.

Not only would this amendment outlaw almost all restrictions on abortion, but the language intentionally broadens the scope of “reproductive rights” to include sex change surgeries and all other reproduction-related procedures. This bill would erase gender distinction, ensuring reproductive healthcare rights to “all individuals” rather than just women. Lastly, this bill would completely strike down parental-consent laws and parental notification rights, allowing minors to receive sex change and abortion procedures without the knowledge of their parents. 

“The ACLU is attempting to trick voters by touting this as an abortion rights amendment when the details indicate it is a power grab for our children,” said Penny Nance, CEO and President of CWALAC. “The radical repercussions of this bill would go much farther than can be imagined in allowing the state, not the parents, to raise children, which gives an eerily familiar ring to the philosophies of Karl Marx, who advocated the ‘destruction, dissolution, and abolition of the family’ and called for children to be educated by the state and not by their parents.”

The ACLU recently advocated for New Hampshire parents to lose the right to parent their child once they enter a public school. They fought against a bill in Wyoming that would prohibit instructing young children about sexual orientation and gender identity. Back in 2016, the ACLU vigorously contested parental notification laws in Alaska. Additionally, the ACLU opposes school transparency laws, which help parents stay informed on what their children are learning in schools.

“Sadly, the ACLU has gone far afield of advocating for civil rights. The only rights they seem to support are those of the state and government to control the lives of Americans, and they are starting with our children,” said Nance. “CWALAC urges all Ohioans to fight against this radical agenda in November!”