In the month since the United States Supreme Court over-turned Roe versus Wade and handed regulation of abortion back to the states, there has been discussion about how far a red-state like Ohio would go.
The state already has implemented its so-called “heartbeat bill”. It bans abortions after about six-weeks. A more encompassing bill is expected from lawmakers later this fall.
This week, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine weighed in on the road ahead for lawmakers. DeWine talked to reporters as he toured the opening of the Ohio State Fair—which is fully back this year for the first time since 2019.
DeWine says the conversation over abortion has “gone off the rails” a bit in Ohio. One lawmaker—Cincinnati Republican Jean Schmidt-- has said she would consider banning contraception. Concern has also been raised about same-sex marriage in the aftermath of overturning Roe. Ohio law bans same-sex marriage. But the Supreme Court legalized it in 2015 with its decision in Obergefell v Hodges. The case is one that Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has suggested the court should reconsider.
Ohio is in the middle of a primary vote that will conclude when polls close on August 2—that’s Tuesday if you can believe we’re at the end of July already.
Voters for each party will make their choices for Ohio state House and state Senate candidates. A few local issues may also be on some ballots.
These are the races that could not be decided in the May primary—because the battle over new maps was still playing out in court.
Cleveland Ward 12 council person Rebecca Maurer looked into how city residents go about seeking help for quality of life issues. She found that more times than not, resident look to their council members as their de facto customer service reps…..even when the council person has no direct role in solving the issue.
Maurer says she dug into the issue—and says no one should take it as she doesn’t want to hear from residents. She does. But she wants an easier way for residents to quickly get the help they need for issues such as missing trash cans or street lamp fixes.
Nick Castele, Senior Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
Lisa Ryan, Health Reporter, Ideastream Public Media
Karen Kasler, Statehouse News Bureau Chief, Ohio Public Radio/TV
