Buckeye Reporter

Shannon Burns, President of Strongsville GOP, spoke out against Issue 1, a proposed referendum in the Ohio Constitution that would remove parental notifications and prohibit the state from interfering in a person's right to reproductive freedom. Burns believes that parents should have the final say in their child's medical decisions. He stated, "My children don't have the right to decide where they're going on a Friday night without my approval, so why in the world are they able to decide on having life-changing surgery without my consent or knowledge? At the end of the day, I am the one who knows what's best for my child -- not the government."

According to his bio on the Strongsville GOP website, Burns is supportive of "limited government, personal responsibility, and traditional family values."

Issue 1, also known as the "Right to Make Reproductive Decisions Including Abortion Initiative," aims to permanently change Ohio's constitution by enacting Section 22 into Article 1. The proposed referendum language seeks to establish an individual right and create legal protections for reproductive medical treatment, including but not limited to abortion. The treating physician of a pregnant woman would be granted the authority to assess the viability of the unborn child on a case-by-case basis, and the state would be prohibited from interfering with the physician's decisions.

Shannon Burns, President of Strongsville GOP | https://www.strongsvillegop.org/executive-board

Those against Issue 1, including Burns, argue that the language of the referendum is purposefully vague and could endanger women. They also believe it would grant access to abortion for all nine months of pregnancy and allow for sex-change surgeries without parental consent or notification.

The National Review published an article by Carrie Campbell Severino and Frank J. Scaturro, vice president of the Judicial Crisis Network. In the article, they said, "The proposed amendment would outlaw virtually any restrictions on abortion and all other procedures, including sex-change surgeries, that touch on reproduction, for both adults and minors. It would cancel out not only parental-consent laws but also mere parental notification for minors’ abortions or sex-change surgeries; strike down health protections for people of all ages who undergo these procedures, including requirements that a qualified physician perform them; and erase any meaningful limits on late-term abortions."

In favor of Issue 1, Lauren Blauvelt, chair of Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom said: "The people of Ohio overwhelmingly support abortion access and keeping the government out of our personal lives. This citizen-led amendment will do just that: through our deep community partnerships and long history of protecting reproductive freedom and providing access to healthcare, this campaign puts the power back in the hands of the people of Ohio, so everyone has the freedom to prevent, continue, or end a pregnancy should they decide."

The fate of Issue 1 will be determined by a majority vote.