The American state of Ohio approved, on Tuesday, November 7, the inclusion of the right to abortion in its Constitution, according to American media projections, granting a resounding victory to the defenders of abortion on this central issue which will weigh on the 2024 presidential election.

An explosion of joy greeted the news at a pro-abortion coalition rally in Columbus, the capital of this Republican-controlled Midwestern state. “Winning was the only option and we did it together! », Launched an organizer from the platform to applause and victorious cries. “It’s your body, your rights! », rejoiced another.

Both camps waged a fierce campaign with millions of dollars and ubiquitous television spots, also sending thousands of volunteers to knock on residents’ doors to rally them to their cause.

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. Democratic President Joe Biden immediately welcomed the result. “Democracy has won,” he said in a statement. The anti-abortionists’ “extreme and dangerous” agenda “is out of step with the vast majority of Americans,” he said.

Counter a law banning most abortions

Ohio is therefore added to the states, progressive and conservative alike, which systematically voted in 2022 for pro-abortion votes in elections on abortion, to the great surprise of Republicans. 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, for the defenders of the amendment to the Constitution, it was necessary to check “yes” to prevent the State from interfering in a “personal decision”; for his opponents, it was imperative to say “no” to a text that “goes too far”.

Since the Supreme Court of the United States 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. Many have restricted or banned it, others have strengthened it.

In Ohio, a right-wing attempt to complicate the organization and adoption of referendums (with abortion in the crosshairs) failed in August. Defenders of abortion have managed to gather hundreds of thousands of signatures in order to submit to the population a constitutional amendment enshrining the right to abortion. It was also about countering a law, which came into force after the Supreme Court’s decision, which bans most abortions – even in cases of rape or incest – as soon as a heartbeat can be detected (c 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. But in the short time the ultra-restrictive law was in effect, a 10-year-old girl who was pregnant after rape had to travel to neighboring Indiana to have an abortion, a case that shocked the country.

Two Democratic victories in Kentucky and Virginia

Ohio voters cast early ballots for weeks leading up to Tuesday. The amendment provides that every individual has “the right to make and implement their own decisions” in matters including abortion, contraception and treatment related to fertility or miscarriage.

For opponents, like Republican Governor Mike DeWine, this would open the door to abortions “at any time during pregnancy” and the possibility of minors having them without their parents’ consent. The opposing camp categorically denies this.

The question of abortion was on everyone’s mind during two other ballots on Tuesday. In very conservative Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear managed to get re-elected, according to American media projections. He had made the right to abortion a major axis of his campaign. President Biden immediately called to congratulate him, the White House said.

In Virginia, where congressional elections were held, the Democrats won another victory, retaining the majority. Here too, abortion was a central issue since the Republican governor, Glenn Youngkin, hoped to obtain a majority in the State Congress to impose restrictions on abortion.