Since the Supreme Court overturned the landmark Roe v. Wade decision in 2022, abortion-rights advocates have made key victories in multiple ballot initiatives.
Tuesday, Nov 7 saw three major wins.
One being in Virginia, where voters flipped the house of delegates to a Democrat majority and effectively rejected a Republican effort to take full control of the state government, which would have included Glenn Youngkin’s proposed 15-week abortion ban.
Another victory for reproductive rights activists happened Tuesday night in Ohio, where abortion rights were enshrined into the state’s constitution by an overwhelming vote of nearly 60% in favor
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The ballot measure’s language guarantees every person in Ohio the right “to one’s own reproductive medical treatment, including but not limited to abortion,” and prohibits the state from “burdening, penalizing or prohibiting” those rights.
The amendment will essentially counteract the predominantly red state’s “heartbeat bill” banning most abortions, which took effect immediately after the Dobbs decision but remains temporarily blocked.
This echoes a moment back in August when Kansas voters overwhelmingly struck down the “Value Them Both Amendment,” which would have removed key language that enshrined abortion rights in their state’s constitution.
And last and number three, Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear won re-election in red state Kentucky after supporting abortion rights as a core message of his re-election campaign.
Abortion rights advocates marked Tuesday’s success as a sign that by and large, Americans desire for women to have freedom of choice.
President Biden wrote that it “makes clear what we know: the majority of Americans agree that women should have access to abortion and should have the right to make their own health care decisions.”
Meanwhile, NARAL Pro-Choice America President Mini Timmaraju said in a statement: “Reproductive freedom is a winning issue, now and in November. Anti-choice lawmakers take note: The voters have spoken, and they will turn out at the ballot box to oppose efforts to restrict reproductive freedom.”
Scroll down to see more reactions:
We won today because of the volunteers and organizers who continue to show up for Ohio. Thank you for your activism. pic.twitter.com/ejnKLr6dGy
— Sherrod Brown (@SherrodBrown) November 8, 2023
Abortion rights keep winning in red states — Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky!
At what point will politicians realize the vast majority of Americans HATE far-left and far-right politics? #AbortionOnTheBallot https://t.co/OLtvQ7MFtU
— David Stehle (@davidstehle) November 8, 2023
I’m so glad women’s right to choose won last night across the country. #AbortionOnTheBallot #WomensRights
— Zach Chase (@itszachattack) November 8, 2023
With the upcoming presidential election in 2024, abortion rights seem destined to be a key issue. And while that might mean more narratives around it are construed to create political divides throughout our country, so far that hasn’t appeared to be the reality for most Americans—who, even in more conservative leaning states, actively support a woman’s right to choose.