Sherrod Brown: The fight for abortion rights in Ohio isn't over | Opinion

For women in Ohio, the issue of reproductive freedom isn’t political, it’s personal.

Sherrod Brown

Opinion contributor

One year ago, Ohioans came out in full force during a purposefully, dubiously scheduled mid-summer special election. Politicians and an out-of-state billionaire poured millions of dollars into misleading ads, pushing a ballot initiative that was nothing more than a cynical ploy designed to rig the system to restrict abortion rights.

Ohioans saw through this scheme, and overwhelmingly made clear their commitment to protecting abortion rights in Ohio.After the victory in August, just three months later, voters again turned out in droves to overwhelmingly support the abortion rights amendment to enshrine reproductive rights in Ohio’s Constitution.Ohioans made it clear where they stand: A woman’s health care decisions should be between her and her doctor – not politicians.But unfortunately, despite these decisive victories last year, our fight for abortion rights and reproductive freedom isn’t over.

Ohio women cannottrust Bernie Moreno to protect reproductive rights | Opinion

Democratic U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown says his opponent in November, Bernie Moreno (pictured), has admitted to being “100 percent pro-life with no exceptions.” Brown says despite passing protections for reproductive freedom in Ohio last year at the ballot box, politicians like Moreno are seeking to impose a national abortion ban.

Politicians, including Bernie Moreno, my opponent running for Senate, are working to pass a national abortion ban, which would overturn the will of Ohioans.Even after the voters of Ohio tried to settle this issue, my opponent continues to double down, saying his position is "crystal, crystal clear" and "has not changed." He told CNN as recently as last month that he still supports a national abortion ban.He’s said, in his own words, that he’s “100 percent pro-life with no exceptions.” He donated $100,000 of his own money to defeat abortion rights last November and to uphold Ohio’s dangerous abortion ban with no exceptions for rape or incest. Moreno has opposed birth control protections, has dismissed IVF as a "non-issue," and has called federal protections for IVF "unnecessary." My opponent has made it clear that he thinks he knows better than Ohioans, or that simply he doesn’t care what we think.Fighting back against that kind of arrogance is one of the most important parts of my job. I have always fought for Ohio women’s freedoms to make their own health care decisions, and I always will.In fact, before our first date, my wife Connie checked my voting record on abortion rights. If it wasn’t 100%, there would have been no first date. I’m happy to say we’ve been married for 20 years.

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown says despite decisive victories at the ballot box last year, politicians like his opponent in November, Bernie Moreno, are working to pass a national abortion ban.

For women in Ohio, this issue isn’t political, it’s personal. Ohio women remember the fear and the stress after Roe v Wade was overturned. We can’t go back to the bans, to women frantically leaving the state for emergency care, to doctors consulting with lawyers instead of patients when a woman’s life is on the line.And this November, the choice is clear: it’s between protecting the freedom Ohioans have demanded, and a politician who wants to take it away − who thinks he knows better. I’m confident that just as they did last year, Ohioans will make their support for abortion rights clear this November.And with your support, I’ll continue fighting for those same freedoms for women across Ohio in the U.S. Senate.Sherrod Brown is Ohio’s Senior U.S. Senator.

Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, works in Washington on Sept. 12, 2023. Sen. Brown, who has represented Ohio since 2007, is running for reelection in 2024.