On Wednesday, the office of State Senator Mark Mallory released a statement on the condition of Ohio’s ratification of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.

Mallory said he feels several conservative members of the General Assembly may block the ratification of the amendment by adding controversial language.

“The only thing more embarrassing than Ohio’s failure to ratify the 14th Amendment for the last 135 years is that there is any opposition to it now,” Mallory said.

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution was ratified nationally in 1868. It grants equal protection under the law to all citizens.

The conservative assembly members oppose the amendment’s citation in cases like Roe v. Wade and the recent Pledge of Allegiance case.

The stance of these Republican assembly members is completely ridiculous. The 14th amendment was ratified by the states in 1868 and is the law of the land. Ohio needs to pass this so we can move on.

The Republicans’ grievance on this issue is not with the 14th Amendment or the Constitution; it’s with the courts. Courts make their own decisions based on their interpretation of the law. This does not represent an issue with the Constitution, but with the judges and courts.

The Roe v. Wade argument is irrelevant. Nobody would look at passage of this measure as some sort of policy shift for Ohio Republicans. They can still oppose abortion and Roe v. Wade, but opposing this amendment makes Ohio look like Mississippi in the 1960s.

Ohio Democrats have hinted there will be an effort to draw national media attention to this issue. The Lantern applauds the Democrats for having some spine on this issue.

Slavery was the darkest period in American history. The 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments were passed to try to put that shameful period behind us. The Ohio Republicans not passing this amendment is obviously not an endorsement of slavery, but it’s not an endorsement of freedom either.

Don’t blame the Constitution for the actions of the courts. Passing the 14th amendment is a symbolic gesture to show that Ohio respects the Constitution. What does it say about our state if we don’t ratify the Constitutional amendment guaranteeing equal protection under the law?