Ohio could be the fourth state, following California, Michigan, and Vermont in 2022, to establish an explicit state constitutional right to abortion. On July 5, the campaign Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom submitted more than 710,131 signatures for a citizen-initiated constitutional amendment to provide that “every individual has a right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including decisions on contraception and abortion. At least 413,446 signatures need to be valid. The state has until July 25, 2023, to count and validate signatures. The constitutional amendment would be on the ballot at the election on Nov. 7, 2023.
Unlike California, Michigan, and Vermont, Ohio is a Republican trifecta—a state where Republicans control the House, Senate, and governor’s office—and voted for Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020. The constitutional amendment would also be on an odd-numbered year ballot, November 2023, rather than a mid-term or presidential general election.
As of July 5, no states are scheduled to vote on an abortion-related ballot measure in 2023. In 2024, voters in Maryland will decide on a constitutional amendment to establish a right to reproductive freedom, defined to include “decisions to prevent, continue, or end one’s own pregnancy.” Voters in New York will decide on a constitutional amendment to prohibit the denial of rights to an individual based on their “pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy,” along with other classes like ethnicity, disability, age, and sex.
