Milford restaurant Copper Blue faces 'staffing issues' after opposing abortion measure
A restaurant in Milford has closed temporarily after taking a stand against the Nov. 7 ballot measure that would put the right to an abortion in the Ohio Constitution.
Staff did not clock in, said owner Brian Arlinghaus, after he put a sign in the window Wednesday against the statewide issue and spoke to them about his stance.
"I told the staff, I started off by thanking them for all the hard work they do there for the restaurant," Arlinghaus said Thursday afternoon. "When it comes to this issue, I believe the issue is more than just a political issue." He added that he is Catholic and he does not believe abortion is "good for women."
Copper Blue, a casual dining spot near Cincinnati that serves American food, posted on Facebook Thursday that it would be closed for a few days because, “We have chosen to NOT support Ohio Issue 1, which has left us with staffing issues.”
Issue 1 is a response to the U.S. Supreme Court's 2022 decision that overturned Roe v. Wade. In addition to abortion rights, the amendment would establish the right to contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care and other pregnancy care.
Issue 1 Explained: What Ohioans need to know about Nov. 7 ballot measure
Copper Blue's post garnered more than 550 comments and 230 reactions in the first 12 hours it was up. The most popular reaction was the emoji laughing character, followed by thumbs up reactions, “care” emojis and hearts.
Kelcie Shufflebarger, of Miami Township, the first to comment on the post, said she’d been to the restaurant several times, though not recently. “I certainly will not be visiting again.”
“I strongly believe that a woman has a right to choose what she does with her body, and what restaurants she patronizes," Shufflebarger said.
Others commented that they look forward to returning to Copper Blue when it's open, and that the restaurant is on the right side of the issue.
Arlinghaus said he's going to deep clean the restaurant and give staff a bit of time before he decides when to reopen. He said some cooks and front-of-house employees did resign, others did not officially do so.
Almost immediately after the 2022 court decision came down, an Ohio law went into effect banning most abortions at six weeks of pregnancy. That prompted a 10-year-old girl to seek abortion in neighboring Indiana. The law was then put on hold while it's challenged in court, again allowing abortions up to 22 weeks into a pregnancy.
As abortion rights activists organized a vote on the constitutional amendment, anti-abortion proponents asked voters in August to make it harder to amend the state constitution. That effort failed overwhelmingly.
This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Ohio restaurant opposing abortion amendment faces 'staffing issues'
