Ohio votes to enshrine reproductive rights into constitution as Issue 1 ballot measure passes

Voters in Ohio approved the Issue 1 ballot measure on Tuesday, which establishes a constitutional right in the state to make private reproductive decisions.

The Associated Press called Issue 1’s projected win at 9:02 p.m. EST. As of 9:05 p.m. EST, the “yes” vote led with just under 58%.

According to Issue 1’s text, citizens in Ohio can now “make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions, including but not limited to, decisions about abortion, contraception, fertility treatment, miscarriage care and continuing pregnancy.” The state is also allowed to restrict abortion access after fetal viability, which refers to the ability of the fetus to survive outside the womb and typically occurs at 23 weeks of gestational age, with exceptions to save the pregnant patient’s life or health.

This is the latest example of reproductive rights prevailing among voters, even in GOP-controlled states like Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio earlier this year. In August, Republicans forced a special election to vote on a ballot measure that would have raised the threshold of passage for future initiatives from 50% to 60%. Had that measure passed in August, reproductive rights would not have been passed into law on Tuesday.