A video posted on YouTube appears to show a Michigan man campaigning for Planned Parenthood on behalf of an upcoming abortion referendum — in Ohio.
Ohio State Representative Gary Click spoke to the man, who gave his name as Marco. He asked Click if he was registered to vote in Ohio, and if he would sign a petition to protect “reproductive rights.” Marco further claimed an upcoming referendum vote was not for or against abortion, but would expand Ohio law to allow abortion through 12 weeks.
“So it says ‘to carry out one’s reproductive decisions,’ so that means there’s no age limit on that, right?” Click said, adding, “So that means a child can go have an abortion without her parents knowing?”
Marco agreed, and said it was for “everybody’s” reproductive rights, and so “everyone” could have the right to choose. Click pointed out that, with this referendum, minors could be taken to get an abortion without their parents’ knowledge or consent, and that parents should have the right to know what is happening in their children’s lives.
At that point in the conversation, Marco tried to dismiss Click, but instead of leaving, Click asked him, “So, do you live here in Fremont?”
Marco admitted that he lives in Michigan, and is paid to collect signatures in Ohio. “So, we go through a petitioning company and then we’re sponsored in through different sponsors, which would be Planned Parenthood, and then, yeah,” he said.
Planned Parenthood has been heavily involved in promoting pro-abortion legislation in various states across the country. The corporation is currently part of a pro-abortion coalition attempting to pass an amendment in Ohio making abortion a state constitutional right. Many have criticized this amendment as an attack on parental rights, as it would remove any and all restrictions on abortion, including the state’s parental notification and consent laws. Parental rights groups have been protesting the amendment, encouraging Ohioans to vote against it.
“Moms and dads will be cut out of the most important and life-altering decisions of their child’s life, if this passes,” Molly Smith, a Protect Women Ohio board member, said in a press release. “This extreme amendment eliminates any current or future protections for minors requiring parents be notified and consent before their child undergoes a procedure like an abortion or sex change surgery. Ohioans must vote ‘no’ on this dangerous proposal.”
