In Ohio, GOP Bill Would Make It Harder To Pass Pro-Choice Ballot Measures
Abortion-rights activists have been circulating a petition that would put the issue to voters on the November ballot. But Republican lawmakers have advanced a ballot amendment of their own to raise the percentage of votes required to pass such measures — and they'll put it on the August ballot, when fewer people vote. Meanwhile, Donald Trump and Mike Pence trade opinions on abortion.
The New York Times:
Republicans Try To Keep Abortion Rights Off The Ballot
The biggest and most immediate fight is in Ohio, where a coalition of abortion rights groups is collecting signatures to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot in November. ... Republicans in the state legislature are advancing a ballot amendment of their own that would raise the percentage of votes required to pass future such measures to a 60 percent supermajority. The measure has passed the Ohio Senate and is expected to pass the House this week. The Republican measure — which would require support from only 50 percent of voters to pass — would go before voters in a special election this August. (Zernike and Wines, 4/23)
In related election news —
ABC News:
Republicans Will 'Lose Huge' Without Finding 'Middle Ground' On Abortion, Nancy Mace Says
South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace on Sunday warned her conservative colleagues that they would "lose huge" with voters if they continue pursuing strict abortion bans at the state level rather than finding what she called a "middle ground" on the issue. Appearing on ABC's "This Week" two days after the Supreme Court paused a federal judge's ruling to restrict access to the widely used abortion pill mifepristone, Mace told co-anchor Martha Raddatz she agreed with that move and urged others in the GOP to avoid extremes. (Axelrod, 4/23)
Politico:
Trump Defends His Efforts To Combat Abortion
Former President Donald Trump on Saturday defended his efforts to limit abortion in a video address to the Iowa Faith and Freedom Coalition. In his remarks, Trump cited his appointment of three justices (Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett) to the U.S. Supreme Court. All three voted in the majority in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization to overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling that had legalized abortion nationally. “Those justices delivered a landmark victory for protecting innocent life. Nobody thought it was going to happen,” the former president said. (Cohen, 4/23)
The Washington Post:
In Iowa, Pence Draws Direct Contrast With Trump On Abortion
Former vice president Mike Pence on Saturday sought to draw a direct contrast with former president Donald Trump over abortion, rejecting the idea that laws on the procedure should be left solely to each state as he spoke at an event featuring current and prospective presidential candidates. Pence, who has made moves toward entering the Republican primary against the president under whom he served, directly referenced Trump in comments about abortion to reporters. “I do think it’s more likely that this issue is resolved at the state level, but I don’t agree with the former president, who says this is a states-only issue,” said Pence. “We’ve been given a new beginning for life in this country. I think we have an opportunity to advance the sanctity of life, move it ever closer to the center of American law.” (Wells, 4/23)
Also —
PBS NewsHour:
Supreme Court’s Move On Abortion Pill In Line With Majority Of Americans
Roughly two-thirds of Americans, including a majority of Republicans, oppose laws that ban access to medication abortion, in line with the Supreme Court’s move on Friday to maintain the status quo on the drug mifepristone for now. That’s according to the latest PBS NewsHour/NPR/Marist poll, which was conducted while the high court considered whether it would permit restrictions that would have dramatically diminished the availability of the drug. (Santhanam, 4/24)
