Reproductive rights activists in Ohio said they have submitted more than 700,000 signatures to get an amendment aimed at enshrining abortion access in the state’s constitution onto the Nov. 7 ballot.
At least 413,487 valid signatures will be required for the ballot measure to qualify in the state. Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose (R) will need to review the signatures by July 25.
The proposed constitutional amendment would specify that “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to decisions on contraception, fertility treatment, continuing one’s own pregnancy, miscarriage care, and abortion,” among other measures meant to ensure abortion access.
The measure would allow abortion to be prohibited “after fetal viability,” but would still permit a pregnancy to be terminated if a physician deems it necessary to protect a patient’s life.
If the signatures are certified, Ohio would be the first red state to have a constitutional amendment on the ballot for this election cycle.
Maryland and New York currently have ballot measures for 2024 that also aim to enshrine abortion access into their respective constitutions.
As abortion activists push to get the issue on the ballot, a separate measure is set to be voted on that would raise the threshold for passing future measures.
The measure would require all future ballot measures to reach a 60 percent supermajority to pass. This measure in itself will only need 50 percent plus one to become law.
