Legislative Alert – Issue 1 and Issue 2

 

Dear Home Educators and Friends,
For over 35 years, a part of the mission of Christian Home Educators of Ohio has been:
“…CHEO seeks to preserve the God-given, constitutional right to home educate, and to support and encourage families
in fulfilling this biblical responsibility.”
Our focus is to serve Ohio families in their home education journeys while helping to safe guard their rights under Ohio
law. The urgency behind this legislative alert will become clear as you read the details below. Ohioans are being asked to decide –
with a direct vote – on 2 very different questions.

 

  • Issue 1 will be permanent change to the Ohio Constitution.
  • Issue 2 will be a change to state law. 
The general election day is Tuesday, November 7, but early in-person and absentee voting has already started.
In His service,
Melanie

 

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ISSUE 1:

This issue proposes a permanent change to the Bill of Rights in Article I of the Ohio Constitution – creating a portal of unlimited reproductive rights. Here are some concerns with this issue.

Paragraph A: Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own decisions, including, but not limited to decisions in 5 categories. The first four are already covered in state law with no controversial issues. The fifth “right” is abortion. 

• Attention: The “individual” is not defined, which opens the door to minors making and carrying out decisions related to an abortion without the consent or consultation of parents.

• Attention: The “but not limited to” clause literally means without limits. Decisions that are related to a person’s reproductive system could include transgender surgeries or medical treatment for minors without parental consent; gender selection abortions; harvesting body parts of aborted babies; chemical castration on children; etc.

The phrase, “but not limited to” also means that forever in the future the courts will be able to interpret new rights that are not on the list of five specified in the amendment. We have no idea what right #6 or #7 or #20 will be in future years. Human cloning?

This is the first time in our nation’s history that a blank check would be given to individual people and the courts to manufacture new reproductive rights, through an interpretation of this section, without going through the legislative branch or without needing public approval through a future vote.

It gets worse…  

Paragraph B: “The State shall not directly or indirectly burden, penalize, prohibit, interfere with, or discriminate against” the individual’s “right” to make and carry out a reproductive decision OR against a person or entity that assists the individual.

• Attention: Our legislative branch is shut out of the process and the laws that have been enacted to protect women and children over the past 50 years will be on the chopping block for court-ordered repeal.

• Attention: This means that Ohio laws which currently require a parent’s consent or a judge (in the case of a judicial bypass) for a minor to have an abortion will be repealed. Laws that require a 24 hour wait and the providing of certain medical information to the pregnant mother OR laws that prioritize the adoption of children over abortion will be reversed to prioritize abortion. Laws that criminalize the dismemberment of an unborn child will be reversed.

• Attention: It also means the abortion industry will be free from most regulations.

 

Remember – the amendment mandates that there are no limits.

 

Also in this paragraph:

A late term abortion (up to the 9th month) shall NOT be prohibited if the abortionist determines that it is necessary to protect the mother’s health can include the mother’s life or “health”. Previous court cases have concluded that mental health (e.g., a child would be too stressful). Ohio’s protective laws on late term abortions would be vulnerable to a court ordered repeal. 

NOTE: The language on your ballot will be a short and paraphrased summary prescribed by the Ohio Ballot Board. It is much more important to READ and understand the full text of what will be permanently written in our state constitution before you vote. 

Please visit and download the pdf at: SeeTheLanguage.com

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Issue 2:

This issue proposes a change to state law to legalize recreational use of marijuana. The full text of the proposal is 46 pages, which includes 38 pages of the full text of the statute. The Ohio Ballot Board has prescribed a short paraphrased summary of the statute that will appear on a ballot for the voter see when voting.

Some of the Key Details:  

• Creates a new chapter 3780 in the Ohio Revised Code, which would be comprised of 38 new sections.

• A new Division of Cannabis Control (DCC) would be created within the Ohio Department of Commerce. 

  • a. The DCC would issue licenses and regulate operators, cultivators, processors, dispensaries, and testing labs for “adult use” (aka recreational) marijuana.
  • b. The DCC will give preference to applicants for licenses that are certified by the marijuana “social equity and jobs program”.
  • c. The DCC will approve “forms of consumption” for marijuana.

• Home grown marijuana will be permitted – 6 plants for an adult living alone or 12 plants to a residence with 2 or more adults.  

• The Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services will create a program for marijuana addition services.

• If there is a conflict between state laws that govern medical marijuana and recreational marijuana, the prevailing statute will be the recreational marijuana law.

• Cannabis operators and testing labs are prohibited from being located within 500 feet (approx. 1/10 of a mile) from a church, school, public library, public playground, or public part.

• Facilities for cultivators may span up to 100,000 square feet, depending on the “level” of the license.

• There will be a 10% “adult use” tax levied on sales that will be distributed to various state established funds.

Immunities – use of recreational marijuana shall not be the sole or primary basis for determine child custody issues; shall not be the basis of suspending a person’s driver’s license; shall not be the sole or primary basis for rejecting a tenant application (unless the prohibition is in the rental agreement).

The full text and certified ballot summary may be found at: ivoters.com

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TAKE ACTION:

 

We encourage you to vote NO on Issue 1 and Issue 2!

Early voting is NOW, and election day is just a few weeks away.

 

IDEAS FOR YOU TO HELP SPREAD THE WORD:
Please be engaged in sharing the links and amendment language with as many others as possible.
Forward this email to family and friends.

 

Issue 1:
Issue 2:
  • Send the link https://www.ivoters.com through text messages or post on social media.
  • Encourage those who receive this information to do the same.
This is an OFF-election year so voter turnout will be a problem.

 

  • Be proactive in contacting friends and family to remind them to vote. If they haven’t made up their mind to vote NO, ask if you can send them the two links referenced above.
  • If you know someone who is infirmed or just can’t make it to the polls to vote, please assist them to vote early by an absentee ballot. They must submit an application and the county board of elections will send them an absentee ballot to complete.
  • Please offer to hand deliver his/her ballot to the board of elections. Don’t take the chance, it will be lost in the mail. Or offer to take him/her to the polls on election day.

 

Absentee Voting Information: https://www.ohiosos.gov/elections/voters/absentee-voting/
Absentee Application: https://www.ohiosos.gov/globalassets/elections/forms/11-a_english.pdf

 

The integrity of our state constitution is at stake. The lives and protection of unborn children and women are also at stake. It’s time for all hands-on deck!