The Republican Speaker of the House in Ohio reacted to voters constitutionally protecting the right of choice by vowing to continue to try to take away women’s rights.
Here is the quote:
Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens: “The legislature has multiple paths that we will explore to continue to protect innocent life. This is not the end of the conversation.”
— Jessie Balmert November 8, 2023
In other words, Ohio Republicans are going to try to violate the state constitution. How many times do Republicans have to lose elections on the same issue before they get the hint that their policies are unpopular and something that a majority of voters definitely do not want?
Republicans in Ohio did not learn a single thing from seeing their unpopular anti-women position defeated at the polls by large margins twice.
Speaker Stephens was suggesting that voters changed the constitution, and the Republican response will be to ignore it.
Stephens’ answer was dangerous because it is fundamentally undemocratic.
The Republican mentality is that if democracy doesn’t go their way, they need to abuse their power and do whatever they please anyway.
Ohio, like the rest of the United States, is still a representative democracy. A majority of the voters have loudly spoken in the state. If elected officials are not listening to the people that they are supposed to represent, the state of Ohio will cease to be a democracy.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association
