Cleveland Reporter

A young woman from Cleveland, Cecilia Martin, spoke out against the upcoming Issue 1 amendment which removes parental notifications from serious medical situations for minors. Martin is a member of the Cleveland Diocese.

"If this amendment passes into our constitution, we will be making it so much harder for parents to protect their kids from dangerous predators," said Martin.

Cecelia Martin is worried about the future for young girls due to concerns with an upcoming amendment proposed to permanently change the Ohio constitution. Martin said, "One of my biggest fears as a woman is how I will protect my future daughters from harm."

In a press release, a group against the amendment, Protect Women Ohio, calls Issue 1, the "Anti-Parent Amendment" claiming supporters wish to eliminate parental involvement. Press secretary for Protect Women Ohio, Amy Natoce, said, "Issue 1 backers are finally admitting what we have been saying all along: that this amendment is an anti-parent trojan horse. Issue 1 would wipe away existing and future parental involvement laws, cutting parents out of some of the most important and life-altering decisions affecting their child. Not only that but the proposed amendment outlaws any protections for women and unborn children, even through the ninth month of pregnancy. This amendment is way too extreme for Ohio." Pro-Choice Ohio, a part of the coalition supporting Issue 1, has denied that it endangers parental rights. According to Protect Women Ohio, the amendment would override any state law, including parental consent requirements, as it becomes part of the Ohio Constitution.

Cecilia Martin is against Issue 1 because by removing parental rights it could enable predators to take advantage of young girls in the state. She said, "Our daughters could be targeted, groomed, and then forced into having abortions all while we never even know it's happening. We deserve more for our families."

According to a legal analysis of the amendment, Alliance Defending Freedom calls the language "dangerously vague" predicting if passed, it will "compromise parental rights and endanger minors and crime victims." "Ohio voters deserve to know exactly what they are voting on—especially when asked to amend their foundational document" according to the analysis. The amendment establishes a "fundamental right" to "reproductive freedom" for every "individual," including minors, Ohio residents, and non-residents, granting them rights related to contraception, fertility treatment, pregnancy care, miscarriage, abortion, and procedures like reproductive organ removal. These complex and potentially risky procedures could occur without parental knowledge or consent. This could also undermine Ohio's existing parental involvement requirements, allowing minors, including those at risk of sex trafficking, to receive "no-questions-asked" abortions in the state, potentially emboldening traffickers.