Since the Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade in June 2022, this is the sixth victory in six referendums for defenders of the right to abortion. On Tuesday, the voters of Ohio largely approved – by more than 10 points on two thirds of the ballots counted – the inclusion of the protection of abortion in the Constitution of this state although won by Donald Trump in 2016 and 2020 A new success which could carry the Democrats and Joe Biden into 2024, when American public opinion is largely in favor of the right to abortion.
The adopted amendment stipulates that everyone has “the right to make and implement their own decisions”, particularly regarding abortion, contraception and treatment related to fertility or miscarriage.
Even if the yes vote was favoured, a tightening seemed to have taken place in recent weeks in the polls. For the first time, the question for such a referendum – which was approved by the Republican secretary of state of Ohio – replaced the term “fetus” with “unborn child”.
Ohio also legalized recreational cannabis, becoming the 24th US state to do so.
Good evening for the Democrats
Many votes took place this Tuesday in the United States, one year before the presidential election. While Joe Biden is unpopular, with only 40% of Americans satisfied, Democrats have done better than expected.
In addition to the yes victory in Ohio, the Democratic governor of Kentucky, an ultra-conservative state, was quietly re-elected (52.5 – 47.5%). Very popular, particularly for his management of Covid and several natural disasters, Andy Beshear, who will turn 46 at the end of November, is seen as a potential candidate for the 2028 presidential election.
In Virginia, Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, whom some saw as jumping into the primary at the last second, was banking on the surge of a conservative wave on the local Congress. It failed: the Democrats retained the Senate and were in the race to retake the House, which will allow them to prevent the adoption of a more restrictive law on abortion.
The only good news on the Republican side: the victory of Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves seemed to be taking shape.