Update ::: On second thought: Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish backtracks on letting teen be honored

Like I said before, you know you've lost it completely when pro-life groups and the ACLU are on the same side... against you.

COLUMBUS, Ohio - Elisabeth Trisler, come on down.

The Shelby County teenager who won an oratory contest sponsored by the National Right to Life will be honored for her achievement on the Ohio House floor after all.

House Speaker Armond Budish's decision to keep the teen from receiving a resolution in the House chamber on Feb. 3 honoring her award had brought criticism from Ohio Right to Life officials, House Republicans and even the Ohio ACLU. Trisler had been scheduled to receive a resolution from Rep. John Adams, a Sidney Republican, before the House floor session began that day.

But Budish, a Beachwood Democrat, has rethought his decision and now hopes that Trisler can come to the House floor to pick up her resolution. Trisler won the National Right to Life Oratory Contest held in Charlotte last June.

Budish spokesman Keary McCarthy said Budish was concerned about "inaccurate" criticism that he was silencing the teen because she disagreed with his stance supporting abortion rights.

"We will go ahead with this presentation," McCarthy said. "We'd like to shoot for sometime next week depending on how the schedule looks."

McCarthy said Budish plans "a closer look at the guidelines" concerning who can be honored on the House floor in the future. Budish had originally said that Trisler would not be honored because her award was from a "politically sensitive" group, even though she qualified for the honor under House rules.

Ohio Right to Life executive director Mike Gonidakis said Budish called him to explain his change of heart.

"Blocking speech because you don't like what someone is saying or what they stand for goes against the very fabric of who we are as Americans," Gonidakis said in a press release. "And, while the speaker got there the hard way, at least he got there."

Public shaming can do that to ya.

On second thought: Ohio House Speaker Armond Budish backtracks on letting teen be honored | OPEN: Ohio Politics - cleveland.com