‘Vote NO on Issue 1’: Catholic Ohio Restaurant Owner Not Backing Down

Originally published in Catholic Vote on October 24, 2023, CatholicVote.org

CV NEWS FEED // The owner of an Ohio restaurant is not backing down after he placed a sign supporting the pro-life side in the state’s November referendum in front of the establishment. 

Brian Arlinghaus, a Catholic, is the owner of Copper Blue in Milford, Ohio. His bold decision to place a “Vote NO on Issue 1” sign on restaurant property caused some members of his staff to walk out on the job last week. 

This prompted him to temporarily close the popular eatery for a couple of days. It has since been reopened and resumed business last weekend.

“I told the staff that I didn’t fault them for taking a stance,” the owner said. “That’s their prerogative, but I let them know that I think it’s a battle between good and evil.”

Arlinghaus cited his faith and the profound negative effects abortion has on women in his decision to take a stand.

“I don’t think it’s good for women,” he said. “As a Catholic, there’s sins that cry out to heaven for vengeance, and one of them is the oppression of woman and children.”

“I want to begin in part by saying thank you for all that you have done for me at Copper Blue,” Arlinghaus wrote in a statement to his employees: 

I know each of you works very hard. Furthermore, I do not find fault in you for taking a stance. With regard to Issue 1, I believe the issue to be much more than simply political. This battle isn’t about politics. If it were I doubt you would have such strong feelings about it.

Ohio voters will go to the polls to vote on Issue 1 on November 7. If the “yes” side of the ballot initiative gains a simple majority of the vote, a so-called “right to abortion” will be added to the Ohio state constitution.

Ohio Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, widely considered a moderate, has publicly warned that Issue 1 “goes way, way too far.” 

Proponents of Issue 1 have resorted to deliberately confusing and deceptive messaging to make the ballot measure palatable, DeWine has argued over the weekend, but it “would put Ohio in a small category of the most permissive states in the union in regard to abortion.”

“I just don’t think it fits Ohio,” DeWine said. “It’s not who we are. It’s not where we are.”

As of press time, Copper Blue has been reviewed over 1,300 times on Google and has amassed an average rating of 4.5 stars, making it one of the top-rated dining destinations in the area. 

Open since 2010, it is described as a “Relaxed, contemporary spot offering down-home, scratch-made American eats, craft brews [and] cocktails.” Its diverse menu includes burgers, tacos, seafood, and steak.