Ohio abortion opponents launch new ad focused on abortions later in pregnancy

As the Ohio State University Buckeyes kick off against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, Ohio abortion opponents will kick off their ad blitz to convince voters to reject Issue 1 this November.

Protect Women Ohio, the group opposing the abortion rights amendment, launched its first ad aimed at defeating the issue on Nov. 7. The 30-second ad focuses on abortions later in pregnancy, which polls indicate are unpopular among both Democrats and Republicans.

"Issue 1 is not about preserving 'choice' or 'reproductive freedom,'" said Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life, in a statement. “As Democrats, we need to refocus on protecting people and providing alternatives to abortion instead of using abortion to drive people to the polls.”

More: What Ohioans need to know about November ballot issue on abortion

The proposed amendment on Ohio's November ballot would allow abortions after fetal viability, typically about 24 weeks gestation, to save the pregnant patient's life or health − a decision that would be made by the patient's treating physician.

Proponents say this amendment is needed to protect patients' rights in complicated medical scenarios. Abortions late in pregnancy are rare. About 1% of abortions nationwide happen after 21 weeks gestation, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“This is deceptive language used by anti-abortion extremists to distract from their attempts to ban abortion entirely − bans that put women’s lives at risk," said Dr. Marcela Azevedo, with Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, in a statement. "The proposed amendment clearly states that abortion may be prohibited after fetal viability. Time and time again, extreme anti-abortion activists are lying and misleading Ohio voters."

The ad features clips from Democratic President Joe Biden from 2007 and former GOP President Donald Trump, who in 2016 references babies being ripped from their mothers' wombs. The ad uses the phrase "late-term abortion," which doctors have called imprecise and misleading.

The ad buy is $93,630 in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Toledo and Youngstown. The ad will not appear in the Columbus market, where ads during this football game are expensive and booked in advance.

Abortion opponents shift from August to November Issue 1

The proposed constitutional amendment would enshrine abortion and other reproductive rights in the state constitution.

Proponents of the measure, who launched their first ads on Sept. 12, say the change is needed to protect abortion access from GOP lawmakers intent on banning it entirely. Abortion opponents say this proposal is filled with loopholes that will allow abortions later in pregnancy and prevent any restrictions on abortion, including parental consent for minors' abortions.

A July USA TODAY Network/Suffolk University poll found about 57.6% of Ohio voters support the abortion rights proposal on the November ballot; 32.4% oppose it and 10% were undecided.

Protect Women Ohio was active in the August campaign to make it harder to amend the state constitution − and thus harder to pass the reproductive rights amendment. That measure failed, 57% to 43%.

The anti-abortion group spent more than $15 million on that August campaign with nearly all of that spent on advertising. Those ads largely focused on parents worried that the constitutional amendment would cut them out of conversations with their children about abortion or gender-affirming medical care for transgender teens.

Current Ohio law requires a parent, guardian or judge to sign off on a minor's abortion. Proponents of the abortion rights amendment say that won't change if voters approve the measure this fall. Opponents say the language is too broad and would eliminate any restrictions on abortion.

Protect Women Ohio recently hired Republican political operative Ryan Erwin of Las Vegas-based RedRock Strategies to help lead the campaign against the abortion rights amendment, Cleveland.com first reported. Erwin is an Ohio native and longtime advisor to Gov. Mike DeWine, who did little to advocate for the August measure but has taken a more active role in opposing the November abortion rights amendment.

Jessie Balmert is a reporter for the USA TODAY Network Ohio Bureau, which serves the Columbus Dispatch, Cincinnati Enquirer, Akron Beacon Journal and 18 other affiliated news organizations across Ohio.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio abortion opponents launch 1st ad during OSU-Notre Dame game