US State of Ohio passes amendment to establish right to abortion

Washington, DC [US]: Voters in Ohio of the United States have approved a ballot measure to amend the state constitution to establish a right to abortion, reported The Hill.
The amendment, notably, delivers a massive win for the Democrats and abortion rights advocates ahead of 2024.

The proposed constitutional amendment would safeguard the right to an abortion until foetal viability, with exceptions made for the patient’s life and health after that. This is the first time the advocates of abortion rights have succeeded in passing legislation protecting abortion in a state that has been trending more and more to the red in recent years.

While the Ohio Supreme Court is considering a six-week ban, which is now on hold, abortion is permitted up to 22 weeks. After the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade last year, Ohio became a flashpoint when a 10-year-old rape victim had to fly out of state to get the necessary medical treatment, The Hill reported.

Voters considered a different proposed constitutional amendment in an August special election earlier in the summer, which would have raised the threshold for amending the state constitution from a simple majority to 60 per cent of the vote.

According to The Hill, only a few months before the November election, the special election drew criticism from all political parties, but it ultimately failed.

Republicans attempted to paint the abortion ballot initiative as harsh and going too far for the state ahead of the November election, while Democrats drew attention to the impending six-week ban that was presently in court should the measure have failed.

According to a poll conducted late last month by Ohio Northern University’s Institute for Civics and Public Policy (ICAPP), the abortion ballot measure was supported by the majority of respondents.

However, 68 per cent of respondents preferred the proposal as it was initially presented, while 52 per cent supported the certified text that was put before voters. A number of revisions to the ballot measure’s official text have drawn criticism from Democrats and proponents of abortion rights, The Hill reported.

On June 24, 2022, the Supreme Court of the US abolished abortion rights while overturning the constitutional right granted to women in a historical 1973 ruling called Roe vs Wade. Through this, abortion was legalized across the states.

The Supreme Court has struck down Roe vs Wade, eliminating the nearly 50-year-old constitutional right to abortion, and ruled that states may regulate the practice of it.