A ballot effort in Ohio seeking to criminalize abortion has failed to clear an initial hurdle.
The state’s attorney general said Monday the petition for a proposed constitutional amendment failed to include the required number of valid signatures and so was rejected.
Republican Mike DeWine says only 842 valid signatures were submitted, while 1,000 were needed.
Backers of the effort want to change the Ohio Constitution to “prohibit abortion of all unborn human beings, without exception” and to declare the act aggravated murder.
The amendment says “genuine contraception,” human eggs and in vitro fertilization would not be affected.
It’s the second such measure nationally. In March, a similar proposal was declared unconstitutional in Oklahoma.
Supporters must submit adequate signatures before DeWine rules on whether the summary is fair and truthful.
