Washington: The US state of Ohio has voted to include abortion rights in its constitution, with early results showing that more than 55 percent of voters supported the ballot measure. Abortion is currently legal in Ohio up to 22 weeks of pregnancy.
The measure, known as Issue 1, passed by a margin of 55.8 percent to 44.2 percent, with 93 percent of the vote as of Wednesday morning, CBS News reported.
Issue 1 extends an undefeated record for ballot measures designed to protect abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade — which upheld a constitutional right to abortion — in June last year.
It is the seventh such measure to pass.
This amendment would change the state constitution to include protections for abortion access.
As the BBC reports, it would establish an “individual right to one’s own reproductive medical treatment”, including abortion, contraception and abortion care.
The ballot measure explicitly prohibits the state from “directly or indirectly burdening, penalizing, or prohibiting abortion” before viability, which is generally considered to be approximately 23 weeks of pregnancy.
It also allows the state to prohibit abortion after the point of viability, except in cases where the patient’s doctor determines that the procedure is necessary to protect life or health.
In the 111 years since Ohio first gave voters the power to introduce citizen-led amendments, only 19 of 71 proposed measures have passed.
In a statement released Tuesday night, President Joe Biden celebrated the results and reiterated that his administration will work to protect access to reproductive health care, CBS News reports.
The President also called on Congress to codify the right to abortion into federal law.
“Ohioans and voters across the country rejected efforts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion restrictions that endanger women’s health and lives, forcing women to travel hundreds of miles for care and threatens to criminalize doctors and nurses for providing the health care that their patients need and that they have been trained to provide.
“This extremist and dangerous agenda is irrelevant to most Americans,” he said.
According to a recent CBS News poll, 57 percent of Americans believe abortion should be legal in all or most cases, while 42 percent believe it should be illegal.
Additionally, 74 percent of Americans are concerned that pregnant women may be at greater risk in states with restrictions on abortion; 60 percent are concerned about the closure of hospitals and maternity care centers; And 52 percent are concerned about doctors leaving those states.
Since the Supreme Court’s decision in June 2022, 14 US states have made abortion illegal.
Abortion is protected by state law in 21 states and the District of Columbia; And it is at risk of being severely limited or banned in 26 states.
