--- title: Ohio Votes to Protect Abortion Access in State Constitution description: Ohio’s voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing an individual right to abortion and other kinds of reproductive health care. canonical: https://time.com/6332769/ohio-abortion-rights-amendment-passes/ author: Sanya Mansoor article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2023-11-08T02:21:02.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-19T07:28:12.607Z article:section: Politics og:title: Ohio Votes to Protect Abortion Access in State Constitution og:description: Ohio’s voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing an individual right to abortion and other kinds of reproductive health care. og:url: https://time.com/6332769/ohio-abortion-rights-amendment-passes/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaeb929b52d0325e5/698a420e9d83e8c485b97db1/GettyImages-1769087463.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: Ohioans Vote On Measure To Establish Constitutional Right To Abortion og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Ohio Votes to Protect Abortion Access in State Constitution twitter:description: Ohio’s voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing an individual right to abortion and other kinds of reproductive health care. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltaeb929b52d0325e5/698a420e9d83e8c485b97db1/GettyImages-1769087463.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 01:52 video:published: 2023-11-08 section: politics topics: Ohio Issue 1, abortion access, reproductive rights, reproductive healthcare, state constitution, election night, abortion ban, campaign victory, bodily autonomy, voter approval genre: news report, election coverage tones: celebratory, triumphant, grateful, defiant emotions: joy (high), pride (high), relief (medium), gratitude (medium) sentiment: positive audience: news readers, voters, reproductive rights advocates, political observers, Ohio residents organizations: Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights content_suitability: politics [00:16-01:52]; health controversy [00:16-01:52] transcript_source: publisher captions transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # Ohio Votes to Protect Abortion Access in Major Statewide Victory for Reproductive Rights > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=dcf72879-febc-423c-9b4a-ed9abd4fc155&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: Ohio Votes to Protect Abortion Access in Major Statewide Victory for Reproductive Rights [Watch (HLS stream): Ohio Votes to Protect Abortion Access in Major Statewide Victory for Reproductive Rights](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/8se1aNAL.m3u8) (1:52)  _Published 2023-11-08. A crowd of abortion rights supporters cheered as the news dropped that Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment that guarantees the right to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary The video captures speakers celebrating the passage of Issue 1 in Ohio on election night. Speakers say the measure puts Ohioans back in charge of decisions about pregnancy and abortion and enshrines reproductive freedom in the state constitution. They recall that the campaign formed the previous year after an abortion ban took effect, which they say harmed patients and families. The tone is celebratory, with speakers describing the result as a historic victory achieved together. ## Key points - Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights passed Issue 1, which a speaker says puts Ohioans back in charge of their decisions about pregnancy and abortion. (00:32) - A speaker says reproductive freedom has been written into the Ohio Constitution. (00:47) - A speaker says Ohioans can rest easy knowing they will never again be denied timely medical care or be forced to leave home for care. (00:52) - The campaign came together last year because access was lost under what a speaker calls a dangerous abortion ban in Ohio. (01:08) - A speaker says patients and families were being harmed and lives were put at risk under the abortion ban. (01:12) - A speaker says winning was the only option for the campaign, and that it was achieved together. (01:23) - A speaker describes the result as a historic victory across the state, where voters have spoken and stand united. (01:32) - A speaker says supporters are going to bed knowing they own their own body, and thanks them for their work. (01:40) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:32] Opening chants and declaration of abortion access. Speakers open with the statement that abortion is healthcare and that abortion access is the law of the land in Ohio. - [00:32 to 00:52] Issue 1 passes. A speaker announces that Issue 1 passed, returning decisions about pregnancy and abortion to Ohioans. - [00:52 to 01:23] Constitutional protection and campaign origins. Speakers describe what the amendment secures and recall how the campaign began after an abortion ban harmed patients and families. - [01:23 to 01:52] Victory and closing thanks. Speakers call the win historic, say they stand united, and thank supporters for their work. ## Key quotes - [00:22] Speaker: "I do portion access is the law of the land in," - [00:32] Speaker: "Tonight Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights passed issue" - [00:52] Speaker: "Ohioans can rest easy knowing that we will never again be denied" - [01:12] Speaker: "because there was a dangerous abortion ban in Ohio patients" - [01:32] Speaker: "Tonight we spoken and We Stand United as a historic Victory" - [01:40] Speaker: "We're going to bed knowing that we own our own body." ## Questions this video answers - What did Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights achieve on election night? [00:32] - What does Issue 1 do according to the speakers? [00:47] - What assurances do speakers say Ohioans now have about medical care? [00:52] - Why did the campaign for Issue 1 come together? [01:08] - What harms do speakers attribute to the abortion ban in Ohio? [01:12] - How do speakers describe the outcome of the vote? [01:32] ## Content suitability - politics [00:16-01:52]: Election night coverage of a statewide abortion rights vote, with speakers celebrating the outcome and criticizing the earlier abortion ban. - health controversy [00:16-01:52]: Discusses abortion access and reproductive healthcare, a contested public issue; speakers say the earlier ban harmed patients and put lives at risk.  by [Sanya Mansoor](https://time.com/author/sanya-mansoor/)  ## Sanya Mansoor Nov 8, 2023 2:21 AM UTC A crowd of abortion rights supporters cheered as the news dropped that Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment that guarantees the right to abortion and other forms of reproductive health care.  by [Sanya Mansoor](https://time.com/author/sanya-mansoor/)  ## Sanya Mansoor Nov 8, 2023 2:21 AM UTC On Tuesday, Ohio’s voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing an individual right to abortion and other kinds of reproductive health care. Issue One [put Ohio at the center of the nation’s abortion battle](https://time.com/6300071/ohio-abortion-ballot-initiative/) after the U.S. Supreme Court [overturned _Roe v. Wade_](https://time.com/6189476/abortion-supreme-court-overturns-roe-v-wade/) last year. Tuesday’s victory for abortion rights means that the state’s proposed ban on abortions after about six weeks cannot go into effect. Now, abortions will be allowed until viability, which was the standard under _Roe_. (Abortions after that time could only be considered if the treating physician considers the abortion “necessary to protect the pregnant woman's life or health.”) The results, called by the Associated Press, are a huge win for abortion rights in one of the year's most closely-watched votes. The outcome doesn’t “change the law on the ground immediately but it will have huge implications for what comes next,” says Chris Devine, an associate professor of political science at the University of Dayton. Democrats may now look to the use of the citizen ballot initiative in Ohio as a reliable tactic to protect abortion rights. Six states had abortion-related measures on the ballot in 2022; all six were victories for abortion-rights advocates, including those in more conservative states such as [Kansas](https://time.com/6203178/kansas-abortion-vote-results-takeaways/) and Kentucky. “We've had lots of abortion ballot initiatives in conservative states prevail but they've all been narrower questions,” says Mary Ruth Ziegler, law professor at UC Davis. Ohio is “a good litmus test for how far a ballot initiative strategy can go.” “What it suggests is that voters in a lot of conservative states are not as far to the right on abortion as their state lawmakers,” Ziegler adds. Gabriel Mann, a spokesperson for Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, says the campaign was inspired by victories for abortion-rights advocates in Kentucky and Michigan. “It really showed that this is a midwestern value…that it’s possible to pass this here,” he says. In the lead-up to the vote, Republicans [attempted to make it more difficult](https://time.com/6303738/republicans-lessons-ohio-abortion-issue-1/) to pass a constitutional amendment in the state. After that failed, [abortion rights supporters took issue](https://time.com/6331026/ohio-issue-1-abortion-wording/) with how the Ohio Ballot Board summarized their proposed amendment. The text refers to an “unborn child,” instead of a “fetus”—leading them to argue that the wording was biased. But a majority of voters still voted in favor of the amendment on Tuesday, which now will enshrine in the state constitution “an individual right to one’s own reproductive medical treatment, including but not limited to abortion.” The controversy may not be over.Conservatives fear the “including but not limited to” phrasing could open the door up to mean gender-affirming care. “Issue One is really a wolf in sheep's clothing,” says Mark Weaver, a Republican strategist. Campaign organizers denied any attempt to address gender-affirming care. “Issue One is a single issue subject that directly addresses reproductive care,” says Mann. Despite victory at the polls, abortion rights advocates are expecting legislative challenges about the amendment’s language. “That’s not going to end the fight,” Mann says. ## Transcript [00:16] Abortion is Healthcare. [00:22] I do portion access is the law of the land in, [00:26] Ohio. [00:32] Tonight Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights passed issue [00:36] one, I put Ohio and back in charge of their decision about [00:40] pregnancy and abortion. [00:47] Together we successfully and trying the right to reproductive [00:51] Freedom into the Ohio Constitution. [00:52] Ohioans can rest easy knowing that we will never again be denied [00:58] timely medical care or be forced to leave our home for the care. [01:02] We need never never this has been such a long time coming [01:08] this campaign came together last year because we lost access [01:12] because there was a dangerous abortion ban in Ohio patients [01:17] and families were being harmed and lives were put at risk. [01:20] There was no choice we had to it. [01:23] We had to end the bad winning was our only option and we did [01:29] it together. [01:32] Tonight we spoken and We Stand United as a historic Victory [01:37] across the state. [01:40] We're going to bed knowing that we own our own body. 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