OHIO GOP'S RADICAL AGENDA

This week, the focus has been on Washington during the impeachment hearings, but that hasn't stopped Ohio Republicans in the Statehouse from pushing through an extremist agenda attacking reproductive freedom and science.

At the same time, they're sidelining bills to expand access to affordable health care, increase wages or address the epidemic of gun violence.

Just this week, House Republican leaders brought up the "Ohio Student Religious Liberties Act" for a vote, which would allow teachers to mark religious-based answers as correct on exams -- even if they disregard scientific facts. This bill "could result in teachers accepting assignments that fly in the face of science." [link removed]

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Democratic lawmakers pointed out the bill was redundant and unnecessary. State Rep. Phil Robinson said, "We already have religious freedom protected at the federal and state level." However, the bill sailed through the House, with every Republican legislator voting in favor, and now it heads to the Senate. [link removed]

That's not the only unscientific bill being pushed by Republican legislators -- last week, the Ohio Senate GOP approved legislation that would force doctors to lie to their patients and provide unproven and dangerous information about medication abortion.

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During the 2016 campaign, Donald Trump called for women to be punished for abortion and committed to nominate Supreme Court justices to overturn Roe v. Wade, and now Ohio Republicans are following Trump's lead, introducing legislation that could lead to doctors and patients being charged with murder for abortion care.

"This latest abortion ban from extreme, right-wing lawmakers is the most brazen and absurd attempt yet to deny Ohio women their fundamental freedoms, to interfere with the patient-doctor relationship and disproportionately target communities of color across Ohio," Ohio House Democratic Leader Emilia Sykes said.

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The Ohio GOP's attacks on science don't stop there. There have been more than 1,000 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. this year -- after the disease was declared to be eliminated here nearly two decades ago -- but state Rep. Don Manning is still pushing an anti-vaccination agenda. One of Manning's first acts as a state legislator was to introduce anti-vaxxer legislation that the Columbus Dispatch editorial board called a "menace to public health." [link removed]

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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

Here are five important stories you may have missed this week...

Lima News: Post-election blues: Can Democrats squeeze votes from northwest Ohio? [link removed]
New York Times: The cure for Democrats' 2020 terror [link removed]
Vox: House Democrats took a big step to get the Equal Rights Amendment moving again [link removed]
Columbus Dispatch: Editorial: New council members in Reynoldsburg continue making history [link removed]
MSNBC's All In With Chris Hayes: The scandal facing Trump defender Jim Jordan [link removed]


UPCOMING EVENTS

Tuesday, Nov. 19 -- Desiree Tims for Congress Fundraiser in Dayton [link removed]
Tuesday, Nov. 19 -- Central Ohio Young Black Dems Building the Black Agenda Workshop [link removed]
Wednesday, Nov. 20 -- For Ohio's Future Promises Broken Documentary Screening in Dayton [link removed]
Wednesday, Nov. 20 -- Logan County Democratic Party Fall Dinner with Judge Jennifer Brunner [link removed]
Thursday, Nov. 21 -- Warren County Democratic Party November Women's Group Meeting [link removed]
Thursday, Nov. 21 -- Montgomery County Democratic Party Precinct Captain Training [link removed]
Thursday, Nov. 21 -- Wood County Young Democrats November Meeting [link removed]
Thursday, Nov. 21 -- Cuyahoga Falls Democratic Club Meeting [link removed]
Monday, Nov. 25 -- Lucas County Democrats Monday Seminar Series: Post-Election Debrief [link removed]
Tuesday, Nov. 26 -- Franklin County Young Dems Happy Hour [link removed]
Monday, Dec. 2 -- Congresswoman Joyce Beatty's Community Leaders Forum Honoring Rosa Parks [link removed]
Monday, Dec. 2 -- Clark County Young Dems Meeting [link removed]
Wednesday, Dec. 4 -- Summit County Democratic Party Holiday Party [link removed]
Saturday, Dec. 7 -- Greene County Democratic Party's Holiday Party [link removed]
Sunday, Dec. 8 -- Clermont County Democratic Party Holiday Gathering [link removed]
Tuesday, Dec. 10 -- Warren County Democratic Party Holiday Gathering and Artisan Fair [link removed]
Wednesday, Dec. 11 -- Fairfield County Democratic Party Holiday Happy Hour [link removed]
Wednesday, Dec. 11 -- Clark County Democratic Party Holiday Party and 2020 Kickoff [link removed]
Thursday, Dec. 12 -- Licking County Democratic Party Holiday Party [link removed]
Thursday, Dec. 12 -- Lakewood Democratic Club Holiday Party [link removed]
Friday, Dec. 13 -- Grand Opening of Jackson County Democratic Party Headquarters [link removed]
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Paid for by the Ohio Democratic Party and not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee. [link removed]

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