Columbus, Ohio - In the lead-up to Ohio's fall ballot, inflammatory language surrounding a reproductive rights measure has emerged, fueling the debate on both sides. Surprisingly, these messages aren't solely originating from anti-abortion groups opposing the constitutional amendment but are being promoted on the official government website of the Republican-controlled Ohio Senate.

The messaging on the government website has raised concerns as it is being prioritized in online searches for information about Issue 1, the question slated to go before Ohio voters on November 7th, which seeks to protect abortion access in the state Constitution.

The state Senate's website hosts a blog called "On The Record," which claims to present "the views that the news excludes." This online newsroom features a range of content, including attacks against Ohio news outlets, op-ed style columns by Republican state senators, and content generated by members of the Senate majority's communications staff, as well as influential conservatives.

When the feature was launched in September, Republican lawmakers stated that the blog aimed to provide a space for facts, values, and reason after Ohio voters rejected a Republican attempt to make it more challenging to pass constitutional amendments.

While groups supporting the proposed amendment argue that it is an improper use of the taxpayer-supported website, experts who study online misinformation have deemed the efforts by Republican lawmakers as unprecedented. This strategic dissemination of misleading information through a supposedly neutral government website is a cause for concern.

Laura Manley, the executive director of the Shorenstein Center on Media, Politics, and Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, stated, "It's a really strategic way to make something appear to be neutral information and fact when that's not the reality. I've never seen anything like that. It's really smart in a really devious way."

Recent entries on "On The Record" have focused on denouncing Issue 1, the only statewide abortion question that voters will consider in the November elections. One article claimed, without evidence, that the measure would legalize "abortion on demand at any stage of pregnancy" and allow "the dismemberment of fully conscious children." Another entry repeated a decades-old narrative, attributing high rates of abortion among Black women to an "evil" and "predatory" abortion industry.

However, legal and medical experts consulted by The Associated Press have discredited these narratives as false or misleading.

The proposed amendment explicitly allows Ohio to regulate abortions once a fetus is viable outside the womb, provided there are exceptions for the life or health of the woman. Ohio's existing ban on most abortions once fetal cardiac activity is detected, which is currently held up in court, contains an exception for protecting the life of the woman, as well as a more narrowly tailored health exception compared to what Issue 1 entails. Under the current law, abortions are permitted only in cases where there is a serious risk of substantial and irreversible impairment to a major bodily function.

Opponents argue that Issue 1's health exception, in particular, could potentially create a situation where abortion doctors have more leeway after viability, including consideration for mental health. Physicians argue that such a scenario contradicts the standards they uphold for professional conduct.

There is concern among supporters of the constitutional amendment that the content posted on "On The Record," being a government entity, might be wrongly perceived by voters as a source of objective information. Government websites generally carry added weight as they are believed to present trustworthy, verifiable, authoritative content in the interest of the common good, according to Google's search quality evaluator guidelines.

Democratic state Sen. Bill DeMora expressed his frustration with the blog and its presence on the Senate's official page. "My (Republican) colleagues say that this is done because the mainstream media won't print their stuff. But of course, the mainstream media won't pick this up because it's factually incorrect and basically lies." DeMora added that Democrats are considering launching their own version to counter the GOP's blog.

Republican Senate President Matt Huffman, when questioned by reporters shortly after the blog's launch, was hesitant to label "On The Record" as a news service.

As Ohio's abortion vote approaches, efforts are underway to combat the misinformation that has emerged through the official government website. The impact of these misleading narratives remains to be seen, as both sides continue to present their cases to voters.