Ohio Secretary of State says contraception would not be banned if amendment threshold raised

The Ohio Secretary of State said Tuesday that Republican lawmakers would not try to ban contraception if the threshold for passing a state constitutional amendment is raised.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) made the comment during a debate, hosted by WCMH-TV in Columbus, over Issue 1, a ballot proposal that would raise the threshold for passing future changes to the Ohio Constitution from a simple majority to 60 percent. The move comes as Ohio is set to vote on a measure in November that would amend the state constitution to protect abortion rights.

When asked about an advertisement against the passage of Issue 1 showing a Republican congressman taking a condom away from a couple, LaRose said he does not think Republican lawmakers in the state would use the threshold, if passed, to push through anti-contraception legislation.

“I can tell you that every reasonable person I know thinks that people should be able to have access to that if that’s what they choose,” LaRose said.

Earlier in the debate, Ohio House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D) said Republicans are trying to pass Issue 1 because of the November ballot measure to codify access to abortion and other reproductive health care in the state constitution. She said Republican lawmakers decided for the vote on Issue 1 to be held Aug. 8 because they wanted to pass it before the November vote.

“The only reason it is being attacked at this moment is the timing of a November ballot initiative, which I’m proud to say qualified today, defending the right to abortion,” Russo said at the debate. “And that is simply the rush to get this on the ballot in an August special election and to change the rules of the game in the middle of the game.” 

In May, LaRose said that the August measure “is 100% about keeping a radical, pro-abortion amendment out of our constitution.”

The Hill and WCMH-TV are both owned by Nexstar Media Group.