Ohio Voters Put Abortion Rights in State Constitution

Ohio voters have enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution.

With 87 percent of the vote counted Tuesday, 56 percent voted yes to a ballot measure amending the Ohio constitution to include the right, with 44 percent voting no, The New York Times reports. The Times, the Associated Press, and other major media outlets called the vote for the amendment.

Ohio is the seventh state where voters OK’d protecting abortion rights since the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision last year overturning Roe v. Wade, the 1973 ruling that guaranteed abortion rights nationally. States can now decide whether to keep the procedure legal — or not. Twenty-one states have banned or severely restricted abortion.

“This win marks a new beginning for Ohio, where individuals now have the right to make their own reproductive decisions without government interference,” said a joint statement from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Ohio president and CEO Erica Wilson-Domer and executive director Lauren Blauvelt. “Despite the significant challenges we faced from our opposition’s disinformation campaign and attempts to suppress votes, Ohioans made it clear once and for all that abortion rights are a constitutional right. Our state remains a beacon of hope to so many across the nation and once again proves that voters will show up to defend their right to abortion.”

Abortion opponents had run ads claiming the amendment would undermine parents’ rights and allow young people access to gender-affirming care without parental permission. However, nowhere does the amendment mention gender-affirming care. In August, Ohio voters rejected a separate ballot measure that would have made it harder to amend the state constitution, requiring a 60 percent vote threshold instead of a simple majority.