National Catholic Register, Aug 4, 2023 / 11:45 am
Billed as the most important rally since the overturning of Roe v. Wade, “prayer warriors” are headed to Ohio for a huge event on Aug. 6, the feast of the Transfiguration of Our Lord.
Organizers of a “rosary rally” in Cincinnati hope to encourage all Christians in Ohio to vote yes on Issue 1 on Aug. 8 to raise the threshold to change the state constitution from a simple majority to 60%. Issue 1 is part of a fight culminating this November over a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion in the Ohio Constitution and limit parents’ legal right to consent to what procedures are done on their children; critics say the amendment would remove the parental-notification requirement for minors who want to have an abortion or so-called sex-change operation.
Featured Catholic leaders at the rally will include actor Jim Caviezel and Planned Parenthood-worker-turned-pro-lifer Abby Johnson.
After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, the abortion fight has moved to individual states. California, Michigan, and Vermont have amended their constitutions to make abortion a right, free from parental rights or legislative restrictions.
Abortion groups, including Planned Parenthood and the American Civil Liberties Union, are pouring money into Ohio through advertisements and celebrities urging a “no” vote on Aug. 8 to supposedly “protect the constitution,” knowing that if the threshold is raised, it will weaken the chance of enshrining abortion into the state constitution.
Rally organizer Joe Condit, founder of Catholic Speakers Organization, told the National Catholic Register: “This entire issue boils down to protecting parents and the rights they hold with their children. It’s time parents of all religions play offense and vote yes on Aug. 8. The opposing side has masterminded a campaign to trick the Christian side to think a ‘no’ vote protects the constitution. A winning vote in August will help set the state for best protecting parental rights in November.”
Condit fears that stripping parents of their right to know what is happening when it comes to their children’s medical treatment — and writing that into the state constitution of a conservative bellwether state like Ohio — will set the stage to make it easier to repeat with other states.
“The rosary rally will unite Christians and counter the campaign of misinformation regarding parental rights and destroying families, which the opposing forces are pushing,” he said.
Getting the word out
The idea for the event came during a phone call to Condit from John Yep, CEO of Catholics for Catholics, the group behind the prayer procession at Los Angeles’ Dodger Stadium in June to protest the team’s honoring of an anti-Catholic drag-queen group.
Condit recalled that Yep called and said, “Joe, you’re from Ohio; you need to do something about this.” With only a few weeks before the vote, Condit and Yep decided to call on some of the biggest names in the Christian world to pray and get the truth out.
“Having been part of hundreds of events a year for 17 years as the founder of a Catholic-focused talent agency, I can assure you that the way this event has come together and the type of leaders that have jumped on board is nothing short of a miracle, and it is unbelievable to watch unfold,” Condit said.
Regarding the November measure, John Giroux of Cincinnati Right to Life, who is Condit’s cousin, explained: “Our legal experts say it will strip away parental rights. Nowhere in the amendment is the word ‘woman’ mentioned, or individuals over the age of 18. That opens the way for a minor getting pregnant by, say, the soccer coach, and the coach drives her to an abortion clinic — and the parents would never know. The language says an individual has the constitutional right to ‘make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including abortion’ but does not limit it to abortion, so it can include transgender surgeries and hormone therapy.”
Both Girioux and Condit said their grandfather James Condit Sr., 93, is praying for the success of the rosary rally and the passage of Issue 1. “He was an attorney for over 50 years, with a lifelong commitment to fighting abortion and honored with awards for defending life,” Girioux said. Condit Sr. told the Register: “I am grateful that my grandsons Joe Condit and Johnny Girioux have been active as the creators of the crucial rosary rally on Aug. 6 to save Ohio’s children.”
A-list speakers
The celebrities taking part recognize what is at stake.
(Story continues below)
“After filming ... ‘Sound of Freedom,’ the experience instilled in me a relentless determination to protect God’s children at all costs,” Caviezel told the Register. “I urge everyone in Ohio and the tri-state area to come join me in this prayer rally on Aug. 6 in Cincinnati.”
Johnson explained why she will be at the rally: “Ohio is an important state when it comes to elections and politics. If this goes through, it could be dangerous. I think I have a responsibility to speak out on issues related to the family.”
David Bereit, founder of 40 Days for Life, is also lending support to the effort.
“Ohio is the most important battle over abortion in America since Roe v. Wade was overturned,” Bereit said. “This will set the stage of where, when, and how we will be battling for life over the next five to 10 years. Go to this rally.”
Aaron Baer, president of Center for Christian Virtue, said: “We’ve got to beat the abortion industry here in Ohio or it will be hard to stop them. It’s a beautiful thing to see the entire pro-life community coming together like we’ve never seen before.”
Yep of Catholics for Catholics told the Register: “The short-term goal is getting Issue 1 passed. It’s the best chance for us to stop the constitutional amendment on the November ballot.” He noted that it protects the Ohio Constitution against politicizing, pointing out that this would mirror the U.S. Constitution, where a 60/40 ratio is required for a change, and reflects Ohio’s corporations.
“We’re trying to align our state constitution with Ohio’s businesses and the U.S. Constitution,” Yep explained.
About the rally, he said: “We are leading with prayer. And we’re bringing our faith into the public square to remind people of the sacredness and the gift God has given us to use our free will to vote as laypeople.”
According to the Catholic Conference of Ohio website, the Ohio bishops have no position on Issue 1 because “it does not have a moral content.” However, they roundly condemned the November pro-abortion ballot initiative and have called on Catholics to vote against it.
For more information, go to OhioIssue1.Life.
This article was first published at the National Catholic Register on Aug. 1, 2023, and is reprinted here on CNA with permission.
