By Christi Dodson, Executive Director Dayton Right To Life

   DAYTON-After any election, examining all of your new representatives and their position on the “Life” issue is prudent. Many asked during the election, why is it important to have a pro-life Auditor or Attorney General, for example? Knowing how someone stands on “life” will also determine how they treat their staff, their constituents, influence policy, the allocation of funds, and new departments being created or eliminated. What we found after the 2006 State Elections is a newly elected pro-abortion Governor, Secretary of State, and Attorney General; 3 key positions in our State. This has a direct influence in our local community.

   Dayton Right to Life, for example, teaches abstinence education until marriage in middle/junior/high schools and colleges as a proactive measure to prevent unplanned pregnancies and abortions. A pro-abortion believer tends to believe in contraceptive education or what they call “abstinence plus” instead of abstinence only. One can foresee the impact—abstinence only education funding could be eliminated and replaced with contraceptive education in public schools, even with the knowledge that research proves Abstinence Only Education is successful. Currently, in the State of Ohio, Abstinence Education is required to be taught in all public schools. This change in administration could mean that our children will be taught how to put on a condom instead of the healthiest choice of waiting until marriage. In addition, they will miss the entire idea that their bodies should be treated with respect and dignity.

   Governor Ted Strickland publicly stated during his campaign that he would veto any pro-life legislation that would come across his desk during his term as Governor. Over the years, Ohio has made great inroads, such as the 24-hour waiting period and parental notification. Most recently, on January 4, HB 239 was signed by Governor Taft, a new state policy that the State of Ohio prefers Childbirth over Abortion. With this bill comes a new message of hope: that even if abortion is legal, it is not the healthiest or best choice for moms, babies, and families. The new law also removes abortion as an option from state employees’ health insurance, and also contains a private Attorney General action so that a private citizen can take legal action against unlicensed abortion clinics. These “baby” steps we have taken, so to speak, collectively have made significant impact. But, could this be the end for the next 4 years?

   There may be some hope. There is another piece that could create balance in the next 4 years: How many of our elected State Representatives and State Senators are pro-life?

   To date, here is the tally for the 99 member State House of Representatives. Of the 53 Republicans 46 are pro-life. Of the 46 Democrats, 10 are pro-life, for a total of 56 pro-life State Representatives. Of the 33 State Senators, 20 are pro-life. (Stats provided by Ohio Right to Life). However, we must keep in mind that just because they are “pro-life” does not always mean you have their “vote.” Also, some are stronger in some areas than others. In addition, although we have the majority voice, we do NOT have two-thirds vote. We would need 22 in the State Senate to override the Governor’s veto. However, with this majority, there is hope! We will need to uplift and rely on our State Representatives and State Senators to speak for us strongly in the next fours years. It is going to be both interesting and tough the next few years. No one ever said fighting for the truth would be easy.

   For more specific pro-life information on your State Representatives and State Senators, please see The Ohio Right to Life Candidate Surveys for candidates who were on the ballot in 2006 are on the Ohio Right to Life PAC Website, www.ohiovotesforlife.org. On the Homepage, click on "Candidate Comparisons and Survey Questions" at the top left. On the next page, scroll down and click on "State Representative Candidate Survey Questions and Responses".