Last night, voters in Ohio voted on Issue 1, a ballot initiative that would have increased the minimum support from voters required to amend the state’s constitution from a simple majority to 60% of voters.
Dr. Mae Winchester, a maternal-fetal medicine physician in Ohio and Fellow with PRH reflects on the outcome:
“Voting is a fundamental pillar of our democracy. The outcomes of how we vote can shape our lives and voting is a powerful tool. However, our voting system was not designed in an equitable way to ensure that the voices of all people are heard at the ballot box. Issue 1 was a blatant attempt by anti-abortion voices to make it more difficult for voters in Ohio to defend abortion access in another constitutional amendment vote in November.
The outcomes of how we vote can shape our lives…
“Ohio is not the only state that has faced, or will face, attempts to make it harder for citizens to pass or propose policy changes at the ballot box. Today, Ohioans sent a clear message: allow citizen advocates to have a say in our democracy in Ohio. In November, voters will decide if the right to access abortion will be enshrined in our state constitution.
“Regardless of the outcome in November, the network of physicians at Physicians for Reproductive Health is dedicated to ensuring that the communities we serve can access the abortion care that they need. People in Ohio deserve access to essential care like abortion. At PRH, we will never stop calling out and fighting back against attempts to suppress access to health care no matter where those attacks take place.”
