FILE – Protesters rally at the Ohio Statehouse in support of abortion after the Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade, June 24, 2022 in Columbus, Ohio. The Ohio Supreme Court agreed Tuesday, March 14, 2023, to review a county judge’s order that is blocking enforcement of the state’s near-ban on abortions, and to consider whether the clinics challenging the law have legal standing to do so. In its split decision, the court, however, denied Republican Attorney General Dave Yost’s request to launch its own review of the right to an abortion under the Ohio Constitution, leaving those arguments to play out in lower court. (Barbara J. Perenic/The Columbus Dispatch via AP, File0 Barbara J. Perenic/AP

Ohio could become next battleground state on abortion

Misty Severi March 26, 06:00 AMMarch 26, 06:00 AM Video Embed

Abortion rights advocates in Ohio are pushing to make the state the next major battleground for abortion as organizers prepare for a statewide effort next week to collect votes that would put the controversial topic on the ballot in November.

The Ohio Ballot Board approved the language for the petition last week that was submitted by Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom and Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights. The petition proposes enshrining abortion rights to the point of fetal viability in the state’s constitution. Organizers have until July to submit 413,000 valid signatures, but organizers are aiming to gather more than 700,000.

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“We have been working toward this moment since June of 2022,” Marcela Azevedo, president of Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. “We have trained hundreds of volunteers who are eager to begin circulating petitions in communities across our state because they understand the urgent need to ensure that every Ohioan has access to comprehensive reproductive health care including abortion.”

Organizers for the proposed amendment claimed they were optimistic about getting the petition on the ballot, even though there will not be a top of the ballot contest to boost turnout and even as the state trends more conservative. But similar measures have been successful in states such as Michigan, which passed a ballot initiative to codify abortion rights in the state constitution.

“A lot of our organizations really buy into relational organizing, so we have relationships with our member base, whether it’s an off-year or not,” Jordyn Close, co-chair of the organizing committee for Ohioans for Reproductive Freedom, told Politico. “We as an entire state are riding the momentum of the other states we’ve seen across the nation have really successful reproductive freedom campaign initiatives.”

Kansas also held a statewide vote on abortion last year, which saw a notable victory for those who favor abortion.

Abortion has been a heated topic for states across the country after the Supreme Court overturned the historic ruling in Roe v. Wade last summer, which returned the question of legality to individual states.

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Smaller scale events have already occurred in the state, with women in Chagrin Falls hosting a drive-through signature event last weekend. Approximately 80 cars were lined up for the event, but no specific signature count has been reported, but they were hoping for 1,000 signatures.

Another small-scale signature gathering event will occur on March 25 and 26 in Medina, Ohio, which will be hosted by the organization “Red, Wine, and Blue.”

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