Issue 1 will not remove parental consent for abortions. Here's how we know.
Dr. Elise Berlan is a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine in Columbus. Dr. Lauren Beene is a general pediatrician in Cleveland. Dr. Arthur Lavin is a recently retired general pediatrician in Cleveland. Dr. Noam Stern is a pediatric palliative care physician in Cleveland. The four authors are leaders of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights.
Like all pediatricians we are extremely familiar with our state’s parental consent laws.
We learned about them in medical school and residency, and we deal with them every day in our offices, clinics, and hospitals.
We know that anyone under the age of 18 who seeks an abortion in the state must have the consent of a parent or guardian unless they are legally emancipated or obtain permission from a common pleas court judge via Ohio’s judicial bypass procedure.
Earlier this year, during hundreds of hours of discussion, our vast knowledge of and extensive experience dealing with Ohio’s parental consent laws were key factors that shaped and defined Issue 1.
Because we were so deeply involved in drafting the proposal, we can confidently state that Issue 1 was never intended to and will have no impact on Ohio’s parental consent laws—despite the lies and propaganda being spread by anti-abortion extremists.
Independent legal experts agree and have repeatedly stated that Issue 1 will not erase or weaken Ohio’s parental consent laws.
What Issue 1 will do is get government out of Ohioans’ personal medical decisions and protect our and other physicians’ ability to provide appropriate treatment for patients and their families.
For these and other reasons a number of highly-respected medical organizations, including the Ohio Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the leading professional society for pediatricians in the United States, have endorsed Issue 1.
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By contrast, if Issue 1 fails, the Ohio government can enforce it's extreme abortion ban that puts women's lives at risk and does not even have exceptions for rape or incest.
Decisions about abortion, miscarriage care, and contraception will be in the hands of anti-abortion extremists, not Ohio families. In fact, it is the extreme abortion ban that Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law that takes away the rights of parents, as we witnessed when child victims of rape, as young as 10 years old, were not able to get the care they needed in Ohio no matter their parents’ wishes.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Vote Yes on Issue 1 in November to stop government from taking away your rights.
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One of the most restrictive in the country, this cruel abortion ban Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law even prevents doctors from acting until our patient is on the brink of death.
Last year, some patients were forced to leave Ohio to get needed care and others were forced to endure extreme and traumatic health conditions, even losing liters of blood before receiving care. No one should ever have their health deteriorate or need to flee their state to get care for themselves or a loved one.
To read the amendment go to: ReadTheAmendment.com.
We are pediatricians here in Ohio, and we are proud to have been keeping families and communities healthy for years.
As parents ourselves and physicians who care for Ohio’s children, we urge you to join us in protecting Ohioans' freedom to make personal decisions and vote 'yes' on Issue 1.
Dr. Elise Berlan is a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine in Columbus. Dr. Lauren Beene is a general pediatrician in Cleveland. Dr. Arthur Lavin is a recently retired general pediatrician in Cleveland. Dr. Noam Stern is a pediatric palliative care physician in Cleveland. The four authors are leaders of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Will Ohio Issue 1 take away parental consent for child abortions?
