Ohio approves protection of abortion rights in its Constitution

(Columbus) Voters in Ohio on Tuesday approved the inclusion of the right to abortion in the Constitution of this American state, according to media projections, granting a resounding victory to defenders of abortion and the president’s Democrats Joe Biden one year before the presidential election.

A sign of the importance of this issue which will weigh heavily during the campaign in 2024, in Kentucky, a neighboring conservative state, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear also managed to get re-elected on Tuesday after having made the right to abortion a hobby horse. , according to the same sources.

In Ohio, the “yes” to the constitutional amendment in favor of abortion wins with 55% of the votes, according to a New York Times projection.

An explosion of joy greeted the news at a pro-choice coalition rally in Columbus, the capital of the Republican-controlled Midwestern state.

“I don’t have the words to express what I feel,” Summer McLain, 27, who has campaigned tirelessly in recent months, told AFP, visibly moved.

The anti-abortion coalition Protect Women Ohio, on the contrary, said on behalf of its members that it was “heartbroken” by the results.

Ohio joins the states, both progressive and conservative, which have systematically voted for pro-abortion votes in elections on abortion, to the great surprise of Republicans, after the Supreme Court’s reversal on the subject. last year.

“Win next year”

This test election was followed very closely across the country, because it makes it possible to gauge the trend among voters one year before the presidential election.

President Biden, a candidate for re-election and in a poor position in the polls, made no mistake, rushing to welcome the results and taking advantage of the opportunity to urge donations.

“Across the country tonight, democracy won and the Trumpists lost. Voters elect. Polls no. Now everyone together to win next year,” he wrote on X.

Since the Supreme Court overturned in the summer of 2022 the ruling which guaranteed the federal right of American women to terminate their pregnancies, the question of the right to abortion has returned to the states.

Several states have restricted or banned it, others have strengthened it.

The subject strongly mobilizes Americans. And even among those who do not identify as progressive, some considered the bans decided by several states too radical.

In Ohio, an attempt by the right to complicate the organization of referendums (with abortion in the crosshairs) failed in August.

Defenders of abortion managed to gather hundreds of thousands of signatures to submit to the population a constitutional amendment enshrining the right to abortion.

During the campaign, both camps then waged a fierce campaign with millions of dollars and ubiquitous television spots, sending thousands of volunteers to knock on residents’ doors.

Heartbeat

After the Supreme Court’s decision, Ohio passed a law banning most abortions – even in cases of rape or incest – as soon as a heartbeat can be detected. That is to say around six weeks, often before a woman even knows she is pregnant.

This legislation is currently on hold due to a legal battle. Currently, abortion is legal in Ohio up to approximately 22 weeks of pregnancy.

The amendment adopted Tuesday provides that every individual has “the right to make and implement their own decisions” in matters notably of abortion, contraception and treatment linked to fertility or miscarriages.

Republican Governor Mike DeWine, fiercely opposed to the measure, had argued that it would open the door to abortions “at any time” during pregnancy, and to the possibility of minors having recourse to them without consent. of their parents. What the opposing camp categorically denied.

Ohio voters also approved cannabis legalization, according to media projections.

With the Associated Press