Voters in Ohio voted “yes” on Issue 1, a proposed constitutional amendment that enshrines abortion rights in the state constitution, in the state’s election Tuesday.
The news comes after the courts had originally blocked Gov. Mike DeWine’s six-week abortion ban. The amendment allows the right to abortion through fetal viability, around 24 weeks of pregnancy.
The language details that women have the right “to one’s own reproductive medical treatment, including but not limited to abortion,” and barring the state from “burdening, penalizing or prohibiting”.
The result is a victory for abortion-rights advocates ahead of the 2024 election, in a state that Donald Trump won twice. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade last year, policies backing abortion rights have won in every election so far, including in conservative states such as Kentucky and Kansas.
Democrats have won every election since and Tuesday’s results mean it is likely to be central to President Joe Biden’s campaign for re-election.
In Ohio, passage of the amendment will effectively counteract the state’s “heartbeat bill,” which took effect immediately after the court’s decision, banning most abortions.
Abortion rights activists spent $23.7 million on advertising, compared to $10.7 million the anti-abortion groups spent against the amendment.
