Abortion access won once again in the United States. This time in Ohio.
This new vote, which registered a good turnout despite an inauspicious date, represents a strong slap in the face of the aspirations of the Republicans, who dominate the state, and represents another clear warning. Women’s right to decide is confirmed as a decisive force in the 2024 presidential election race, a matter that extends beyond party lines.
“This is a great victory for democracy”, President Joe Biden proclaimed in a statement, on a tour of the western United States. His reaction was not long in coming. It was quick.
The referendum actually did not contain the word abortion at all. But his shadow is more than extended. The supposed summer slumber was transformed with the Ohio date into a national dispute over one of the hottest topics.
Republicans, who control the state legislature, called the polls for a procedural gimmick, a Houdini-style escape. What was on the ballots was “issue 1”, which consisted of raising the threshold to 60% to introduce amendments to the state Constitution and complicate electoral initiatives that are brought to a referendum, the approval of which now only needs simple majority
His argument, which was defeated on Tuesday night by 57% to 43% (two out of three opposed) focused on the fact that these initiatives should be targeted at issues of “special interest” and that the amendment process should not be hijacked for the benefit of the interested parties.
There was background. After the Supreme Court struck down last year’s national right to terminate a pregnancy, which put the ball in the state’s court, Ohio’s legislature, increasingly conservative and pro-Trump territory , soon after passed one of the most restrictive abortion laws in the United States.
The state courts have yet to decide on the constitutionality or otherwise of these regulations. But a grassroots movement propelled a response in Ohio that secured the signatures needed to put an amendment in favor of abortion rights to a referendum in November. This fix to the new law would give women legal control over reproductive decisions. This would allow doctors to diagnose the need for abortions and prevent the state from regulating until the fetus is deemed viable.
If they win by a tenth more than 50%, the amendment will be approved. Kansas, Kentucky and Montana have already voted in favor of these rights, which meant that the Republicans got away with it.
For this reason, the Ohio election emerged as another test and a potential barometer of the political climate towards 2024.
