November 3, 2023
Ohio Voters Could Soon Enshrine Abortion Rights in Their State Constitution
By Peter Lucas
On November 7, Ohio will vote on Issue 1, which would guarantee access to abortion. “Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions.”
(Whitney Saleski / Getty)
On November 7, voters in Ohio will decide on a constitutional amendment known as Issue 1, which would establish a right to abortion up to around 24 weeks. The question made it onto the ballot after proponents collected more than 495,000 valid signatures. “Every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion,” reads the proposed amendment.
Behind the campaign are three PACs: Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom, Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, and Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, with donors including the ACLU and the Planned Parenthood Action Fund. The opposition is led by Protect Women Ohio, with major funding from Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland, and the Catholic Diocese of Columbus.
Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up until 22 weeks. However, just after the Dobbs decision, a “Heartbeat Bill” from 2019 that banned abortion after six weeks went into effect. The bill was blocked by Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Christian Jenkins in October 2022, a decision that was affirmed in December. Supporters of Issue 1 fear future attempts to reinstate the six-week ban in Ohio and hope to enshrine abortion rights in the state’s constitution.
