Candidate Calls for Expanded Individual Freedom, Criticizes Government-Imposed Barriers to Personal Decision-Making

Sandusky, Ohio — Candidate for Ohio House District 89 Easton Retzke today criticized recent legislative actions that impose new government-mandated barriers on personal decision-making, pointing specifically to House Bill 347 and broader trends in state policy that he says conflict with Ohio voters’ direction on Issue 1.

“My opponent voted for House Bill 347 at the end of March, which imposes a mandatory 24-hour waiting period for abortion care,” Retzke said. “I believe government-mandated barriers like this do not make people safer. They make care harder to access, more expensive, and less timely.”

Retzke pointed to Ohio’s 2023 passage of Issue 1, which enshrined reproductive freedom in the state constitution, as evidence that voters support greater individual autonomy in medical decisions.

“Ohio voters already made their voice clear with Issue 1,” Retzke said. “These are deeply personal medical decisions that should be made by individuals and their doctors, not slowed down by government-imposed delays.”

Retzke also said the same policy approach appears across multiple areas of state government, including alcohol prohibition history and gun policy debates.

“We have seen this pattern before,” Retzke said. “Whether it is alcohol prohibition, abortion policy, or gun laws that focus on restricting access instead of improving safety outcomes, prohibition-style approaches do not eliminate risk. They often shift it into less safe conditions.”

Retzke said his campaign is centered on protecting individual freedom while focusing on policies that improve real-world safety and affordability.

“I believe in individual freedom and in policies that actually improve safety,” Retzke said. “That means focusing on access, information, and real solutions instead of bureaucratic barriers that make life harder without improving outcomes.”