As advocates for and against abortion rights look ahead to 2024 elections, the passage of Ohio’s Issue 1 is painting a picture of voter sentiment on the issue. It could also change how Republicans word their messaging around abortion rights.
On Tuesday, Ohio became the seventh state to approve a ballot measure affirming abortion rights since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
The decision was a win for abortion rights supporters in Ohio as well as several other states — including Arizona, Missouri and Florida — that are planning to vote on similar ballot measures next year.
Democrats hope to ride that wave of support to ballot boxes across the country.
“If you’re going to take the side for a national abortion ban, you’re probably going to lose,” said Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, who is up for reelection next year. “When the voters speak, you heed it.”
Ohio’s other senator, Republican J.D. Vance, has said he felt comfortable with “some minimum national standard” of abortion restrictions. On Wednesday, he posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, “For pro lifers, last night was a gut punch. No sugar coating it. Giving up on the unborn is not an option. It's politically dumb and morally repugnant. Instead, we need to understand why we lost this battle so we can win the war.”
Congress has so far taken a back seat on federal abortion policy, despite some Republicans calling for a nationwide ban.
“Everyone is going to have to sit down once everything settles,” said Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio. “I think we’re going to have to have a discussion on what we’re going to do.”
Other Republicans have said they could win more support on a state-by-state basis.
“It's a states’ rights issue,” said Rep. Tim Burchett, R-Tenn. “And this is exactly what throwing Roe v. Wade out actually did, it threw it back to the states.”
When Democrats controlled both chambers of Congress, they tried to pass a law enshrining abortion rights nationwide. However they did not have the votes in the Senate to overcome a legislative filibuster.
GOP presidential candidates have been carefully considering their messaging on abortion.
Former President Donald Trump has been skeptical of a federal ban.
Vivek Ramaswamy is the only GOP presidential candidate to definitively saw he would not sign a ban. While the Ohio native is against abortion rights, he has said abortion law should be decided at the state level.