Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nan Whaley is highlighting her opposition to unborn children’s right to life, castigating Governor Mike DeWine’s (R) anti-abortion record and promising more permissive policy if she gets elected.
Her reprehensions of her opponent come days after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion across America irrespective of the wishes of each state’s residents. The original decision rested on Justice Harry Blackmun’s insistence that a right to privacy implicitly contained in the Fourteenth Amendment guaranteed a woman’s right to abort her preborn child. Blackmun’s reasoning has since elicited disapproval from legal scholars of various political stripes insofar as the Constitution never actually refers to abortion.
Leftists like Whaley, a former Dayton mayor, are nonetheless incensed and have spent the weekend declaiming against the 6-3 Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization ruling that reversed Roe.
“Without the protections of Roe v. Wade, this is the future Mike DeWine wants for Ohioans,” she wrote in a Twitter post. “Now more than ever, we need a governor who will fight for your right to a safe, legal abortion.”
Ohio Democratic Party spokesman Matt Keyes also pounced on the issue, tearing into DeWine’s pro-life position.
“Mike DeWine has a long record of attacking women and working to restrict their reproductive rights,” he said in a statement. “Now, the Supreme Court just handed DeWine a blank check to sign all of the radical legislation into law that he wants. This is bad news for Ohio, and we’ll continue to fight like hell for a woman’s right to choose.”
In a televised address Friday evening, shortly after Roe’s demise became public, the governor struck a conciliatory tone.
“I think it’s important that, as we discuss the abortion issue, we in Ohio do it in a civil way and recognize that there are people of goodwill on both sides who have strongly and honestly held beliefs,” he said. “Those of you who are pro-choice believe that this is a matter of freedom and is a decision only the woman can make. Those who are pro-life, including my wife Fran and me, believe that the life of a human being is at stake.”
DeWine went on to emphasize that supporters and opponents of abortion can at least coalesce behind efforts to reduce infant and maternal mortality as well as provide children with a clean, safe environment. He touted the Buckeye state having doubled funding for its program to coordinate visits between trained childcare professionals and new and expectant parents. He noted the state has devoted $1 billion to prenatal care, parent mentoring and nutrition assistance to expecting mothers and their families.
Though a moderate on many issues, DeWine is a longstanding opponent of abortion who signed a bill last December to prevent obstetricians who work for state-subsidized hospitals and medical schools from contracting with abortion facilities. That legislation also guarantees medical attention to newborns that survive abortion procedures.
The governor has indicated he would sign legislation generally banning abortions and would, in the short run, push for enforcement of an existing statute that bans abortion after six weeks into a pregnancy.
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Bradley Vasoli is managing editor of The Ohio Star. Follow Brad on Twitter at @BVasoli. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Nan Whaley” by Nan Whaley. Background Photo “Newborn Baby” by bongbabyhousevn.
