A significant win for pro-choice activists in the state occurred on Tuesday when Ohio voters approved the inclusion of abortion rights in the state constitution.
CBS News, the US partner of the BBC, predicted that the amendment would win handily.
Nearly 56% of voters in the state that leans conservative supported it, according to early results.
Its accomplishment is probably going to give Democrats more optimism that abortion rights will continue to be a popular topic in front of the 2024 elections.
Additionally, it maintains the unbroken streak of ballot initiatives aimed at defending abortion rights since the Supreme Court’s revocation of the countrywide right to the operation last year. This measure is the seventh of its kind to pass.
However, because Ohio was the first state headed by Republicans to propose amending its constitution to explicitly guarantee the right, its legislation, known as Issue 1, was largely seen as the hardest battle yet for proponents of abortion rights.
The proposed amendment will add provisions for access to abortion to the state constitution. “An individual right to one’s own reproductive medical treatment” will be established, encompassing care for miscarriage, abortion, and contraception.
The amendment’s proponents alerted voters to the possibility of new, more stringent legislation, such as a complete ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy.
Currently, Ohio allows abortions up until 22 weeks of pregnancy.
On the other hand, opponents of the proposal claimed that it would legalize late-term abortions, which are currently prohibited.
Pro-choice advocates celebrated heartily as ballots continued to be counted into the early hours of the morning, with US media predicting that the constitutional amendment will succeed.
At one watch party, Kate Gillie told the BBC, “This is one of the greatest moments of my life, working so hard with my team beside me to achieve reproductive rights and freedoms in Ohio.”
Another partygoer, Frank Tedeschi, remarked, “We’ve got two little girls and this is about their future and their reproductive rights.”
Protect Women Ohio, one of the main organizations opposing the proposal, has reportedly raised about $10 million (£8.1 million) since September.
The organization issued the following statement: “Our hearts are broken tonight not because we lost an election, but because Ohio families, women and children will bear the brunt of this vote.”
“We stand ready during this unthinkable time to advocate for women and the unborn,” it continued.
The proposed amendment will add provisions for access to abortion to the state constitution. “An individual right to one’s own reproductive medical treatment” will be established, encompassing care for miscarriage, abortion, and contraception.
In general, viability is defined as roughly 23 weeks of pregnancy, and it expressly forbids the state from “directly or indirectly burdening, penalizing, or prohibiting abortion” before that point.
The amendment does permit the state to outlaw abortions beyond the point of viability, with the exception of situations in which the patient’s physician deems the treatment necessary to preserve the patient’s life or health.
Concerned voters have been informed by the measure’s opponents that it would permit “late-term abortions,” a term used non-medically to refer to abortions performed later in pregnancy.
However, proponents of Issue 1 contended that authorization for any abortions performed later in pregnancy would need a medical expert to vouch for grave health risks.
Meanwhile, the outcome in Ohio might provide insights into voters’ opinions toward abortion over a year after Roe was overruled.
President Joe Biden and other Democrats will be hoping that the topic keeps voters engaged before the elections of the following year.
In a statement on Tuesday night, Mr. Biden stated, “Ohioans and voters across the country rejected attempts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion bans.”
In the coming months, the results of two further votes on Tuesday—one in Virginia and one in Kentucky—will also affect access to abortion.
Re-election of Democratic Governor Andy Beshear in the southern state of Kentucky, when his opponent ran commercials criticizing the latter’s strong anti-abortion stance, is seen by pro-choice campaigners as a victory.
Moreover, Democrats in Virginia took control of both legislative houses after running a campaign against Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s attempt to outlaw abortions beyond 15 weeks of pregnancy.
Arizona and Missouri, two states contemplating ballot proposals identical to Ohio’s, are also keeping an eye on the results.
