Posted on Oct 28, 2023
Misinformation is flowing ahead of Ohio abortion vote. Some is coming from a legislative website
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The inflammatory language targeting a reproductive rights measure on Ohio’s fall ballot is the type of messaging that is common in the closing weeks of a highly contested initiative campaign — warning of “abortion on demand” or “dismemberment of fully conscious children” if voters approve it.
Only the messaging isn’t just coming from the anti-abortion groups that oppose the constitutional amendment. It’s being promoted on the official government website of the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate.
And because the source is a government website, the messaging is being prioritized in online searches for information about Issue 1, the question going before Ohio voters Nov. 7 to enshrine abortion access in the state Constitution.
Only the messaging isn’t just coming from the anti-abortion groups that oppose the constitutional amendment. It’s being promoted on the official government website of the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate.
And because the source is a government website, the messaging is being prioritized in online searches for information about Issue 1, the question going before Ohio voters Nov. 7 to enshrine abortion access in the state Constitution.
Misinformation is flowing ahead of Ohio abortion vote. Some is coming from a legislative website
Posted from apnews.com
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Posted 7 mo ago
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PO1 William "Chip" Nagel
..."Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law, said it's common for politicians to have close relationships with advocacy organizations on either side of the abortion debate, but the Ohio Senate's blog "crosses a line" because it's on a government website that the public would see as providing neutral information.
"There's a difference between delivering a campaign speech to an anti-abortion group and putting these kinds of narratives on an official government website that's designed to inform voters," said Ziegler, a leading historian on the abortion debate. "Your responsibilities there are different."
..."Mary Ruth Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California, Davis School of Law, said it's common for politicians to have close relationships with advocacy organizations on either side of the abortion debate, but the Ohio Senate's blog "crosses a line" because it's on a government website that the public would see as providing neutral information.
"There's a difference between delivering a campaign speech to an anti-abortion group and putting these kinds of narratives on an official government website that's designed to inform voters," said Ziegler, a leading historian on the abortion debate. "Your responsibilities there are different."
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