November 2023 Elections Mark 3 Big Wins for Abortion Rights

On November 7, 2023, three states, Ohio, Kentucky, and Virginia, voted in favor of maintaining abortion rights. Although policy changes were only on the ballot in Ohio, votes in Kentucky and Virginia are predicted to have a similar effect.

Issue one on Ohio’s ballot during this election was a proposal to engrain abortion rights into the state constitution. Despite attempts by conservative parties and anti-abortion advocates to block this change, 57% of voters in Ohio voted in favor of the amendment. As a predominantly red state, the opportunity to embed abortion rights into the constitution was a significant win for abortion rights activists.

"In Ohio, voters protected access to reproductive health in their state constitution. Ohioans and voters across the country rejected attempts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion bans that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors and nurses for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide,” noted President Biden in a White House press statement.

Beyond votes on issues in Ohio, the people of Kentucky chose to re-elect Democratic Governor Andy Beshear, who champions abortion rights as part of his campaign.

Unlike his opponent, Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, Beshear has voiced his opposition to the state's strict abortion bans. Governor Beshear’s website notes that he is working to protect rights, including vetoing legislation that would eliminate abortion for victims of rape and incest.

The third major abortion rights win took place in Virginia when, contrary to the hope of Governor Glenn Youngkin, democrats maintained control of the state legislature with a one-seat majority in the House of Delegates and the Senate. Youngkin had hoped that a Republican legislative authority would allow him to pass a 15-week limit on abortions.

"It's official: there will be absolutely no abortion ban legislation sent to Glenn Youngkin's desk for the duration of his term in office, period," Sen. Mamie Locke, chair of the Senate Democratic Caucus, said according to Axios.

Although many conservative groups and representatives are disappointed with these wins for abortion rights, healthcare organizations, including the American Medical Association and the United States Department of Health and Human Services, maintain that access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare is critical for patient safety.

“While President Biden and I are working to protect reproductive freedom, extremists are pushing for a national abortion ban that would criminalize reproductive health care in every single state in our Nation,” commented Vice President Kamala Harris in a press statement. “It is past time for Congress to listen to the American people and pass a bill that restores the protections of Roe v. Wade. And when they do, President Biden will sign it into law.”