The American state of Ohio approved on Tuesday the inclusion of the right to abortion in its constitution, according to American media forecasts, handing abortion advocates a resounding victory on this key issue that will weigh on the 2024 presidential election.
The news sparked an explosion of joy at a pro-abortion coalition rally in Columbus, the capital of this Republican-controlled Midwestern state.
“Winning was the only option and we did it together!” shouted an organizer from the podium to applause and shouts of victory. “It’s your body, your rights!” cheered another.
Both camps waged a vigorous campaign involving millions of dollars and ubiquitous television ads, while also sending thousands of volunteers to knock on residents’ doors to rally them to their cause.
This test election was followed very closely throughout the country because it makes it possible to gauge the evolution of voters a year before the presidential election.
Democratic President Joe Biden immediately welcomed the result.
“Democracy has won,” he said in a statement. The “extreme and dangerous” anti-abortion agenda “is at odds with the vast majority of Americans,” he said.
A topic that mobilizes
This means that Ohio joins the list of progressive and conservative states that systematically voted for abortion in abortion votes last year, much to the surprise of Republicans.
Because the issue strongly mobilizes Americans. And even among those who do not consider themselves progressive, some considered the bans adopted by several states to be too radical.
In Ohio, it was necessary for proponents of the constitutional amendment to check “yes” to prevent the state from interfering in a “personal decision”; It was imperative for his opponents to say “no” to a text that “goes too far.”
Since the Supreme Court overturned the ruling guaranteeing American women’s federal right to abortion in the summer of 2022, the question of abortion rights has returned to the jurisdiction of the states.
Many have restricted or banned it, others have increased it.
In Ohio, a right-wing attempt to make it harder to organize and hold referendums (with abortion in the crosshairs) failed in August.
Abortion supporters managed to collect hundreds of thousands of signatures to present to the population a constitutional amendment enshrining the right to abortion.
It was also about countering a law that came into force after the Supreme Court decision that bans most abortions – including cases of rape or incest – as soon as a heartbeat can be detected. That means around six weeks, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant.
Not immediately
This legislation is currently on hold due to litigation. Currently, abortion is legal in Ohio until approximately 22 weeks of pregnancy.
But in the short time the highly restrictive law was in effect, a 10-year-old girl who was pregnant after a rape had to travel to neighboring Indiana to have an abortion, a case that shocked the country.
Ohio voters cast their ballots weeks before Tuesday.
The amendment provides that every individual “has the right to make and implement their own decisions,” including abortion, contraception and treatment related to fertility or miscarriage.
For his opponents, like Republican Gov. Mike DeWine, this would open the door to abortions “at any point during pregnancy” and raise the possibility that minors could resort to them without their parents’ consent.
The opposing camp categorically denies this.
In two other votes on Tuesday, the issue of abortion was on everyone’s mind.
In very conservative Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear managed to be re-elected, according to American media forecasts. He had made abortion rights a major focus of his campaign.
President Biden immediately called to congratulate him, the White House said.
And in Virginia, which had a general election, a Republican victory could allow Gov. Glenn Youngkin to impose abortion restrictions