DeWine: Abortion amendment too liberal for Ohio, but lawmakers should look at current law

Gov. Mike DeWine says the proposed abortion access amendment to the state constitution is out of step with what most Ohioans want, but voters still might like it more than Ohio's current abortion restrictions.

DeWine, a Republican who signed a ban on most abortions in 2019, has asked Ohio's GOP-controlled Legislature to look at current state law to see if it's "sustainable." The law, which is currently blocked by a court order, bans doctors from performing abortions after cardiac activity is detected.

"This is something the Legislature has to look at," DeWine told reporters Thursday. "It has to be something that's sustainable. It doesn't do any good to have a law on the books and then voters say, 'Well, we don't like that law,' and have it be overridden by a law that doesn't really fit Ohio."

But the Ohio Legislature has shown little interest recently in tweaking the 2019 law banning most abortions. Instead, lawmakers have focused on setting up an August election to ask voters to make it harder to amend the Ohio Constitution. It's not yet clear whether the House has enough votes to make that happen, and DeWine has yet to weigh in.

Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, said the focus is on defeating the abortion amendment, which could be on Ohioans' November ballot, not changing current law.

"All of our attention is focused on exposing how sweeping and radical this abortion amendment is," Baer said.

Ohio Right to Life President Mike Gonidakis said the full effect of the 2019 law was never realized. "Once the Ohio Supreme Court upholds the heartbeat law as constitutional then we can measure its success by the number of lives saved. “

Kellie Copeland, executive director of Pro-Choice Ohio, said DeWine should have considered the aftermath before signing the 2019 abortion ban.

"Gov. DeWine is trying to downplay the harm that he caused to Ohioans when the six-week ban was in effect," said Copeland, adding that the proposed amendment is in line with Ohio's values. "The fact of the matter is Ohioans want to make their own reproductive healthcare decisions."

DeWine disagreed, saying: "The initiative would make Ohio one of the most liberal states in the union.  That's not where the majority of Ohioans are today."

Jessie Balmert and Anna Staver are reporters 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.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: DeWine: Lawmakers should examine abortion bans before ballot fight