Things are turning for political candidates who support women and abortion rights in the United States, after a series of state elections conferred wins for the Democrats on Tuesday.
Across several states, citizens headed to the polls to elect governors, mayors, state legislators, and also to vote on key state-based vote issues, including access to reproductive rights.
In traditionally “red” (Republican) states, including Ohio and Kentucky, the positive results for Democrats signal a change in the air for abortion rights issues.
Ohio
In Ohio, a citizen-sponsored issue saw residents vote on whether to establish a Constitutional Right to Abortion, guaranteeing the right to an abortion. The state was the only one across the country to vote on a statewide abortion rights question this year.
Reports have confirmed that with most ballots now counted, the amendment is set to pass, meaning individuals would have the “right to make and carry out one’s own reproductive decisions,” including on abortion.
According to CBS, as many as one in five Republicans also voted in favour of the change.
However, even with an emphatic “Yes” vote, the state legislature still has the power to ban abortion after roughly 23 weeks — unless the patient’s “treating physician” determines it is necessary to protect the patient’s life or wellbeing.
Lauren Blauvelt, co-chair of Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, spoke to a crowd of supporters on Tuesday, saying, “The future is bright, and tonight we can celebrate this win for bodily autonomy and reproductive rights.”
“Ohioans can rest easy knowing we can never be denied timely medical care,” she said.
On the same day, US President Joe Biden released a short statement praising the voters of Ohio, who “voted to protect their fundamental freedoms.”
“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 criminalise doctors and nurses for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide,” he wrote.
“This extreme and dangerous agenda is out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans.”
“My Administration will continue to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law once and for all.”
Virginia
In Virginia, abortion rights advocates celebrated Democrats holding onto their Senate majority and reclaiming control of the House from Republicans.
This means they will have the power to block Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin’s agenda to ban most abortions beyond 15 weeks after conception.
Referencing Donald Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, Virginia Senate Democratic Caucus Chair Mamie Locke released a statement:
“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, as we have thwarted MAGA Republicans’ attempt to take total control of our government and our bodies.”
Molly Murphy, president of the Democrat-aligned firm Impact Research, said on the result, “voters have said resoundingly they do not want a ban on abortion.”
“This is much less about where you draw the line on when a woman can have an abortion and much more about who gets to decide,” she told 19th News.
“The number of weeks is immaterial, because it’s still fundamentally politicians deciding whether a woman should have an abortion.”
All of the nine LGBTQI candidates in the Virginia legislative races won their seats, marking a huge win for Democrats.
They included Laura Jane Cohen, Rozia Henson, Adele McClury, Kelly Convirs-Fowler, Marcia Price, Mark Sickles and Senator Adam Ebbin.
Journalist and Democrat, Danica Roem, becomes the first openly trans state senator in the South.
LGBTQ+ Victory Fund President & CEO Annise Parker said the results from the state elections indicate that voters “resoundingly rejected the politics of bigotry and fear directed at the LGBTQ+ community.”
“In Virginia and around the country, tonight’s results show that hate is a losing issue at the ballot box,” she said.
“We’re proud that our LGBTQ+ Victory Fund candidates were key to delivering a pro-equality majority in the General Assembly that will stand up to Glenn Youngkin’s bigoted policies.”
Kentucky
In Kentucky, Democratic Governor Andy Beshear was re-elected for a second four-year term. Beshear campaigned on abortion rights, making it one of his most important campaign issues in a state where Republicans have a supermajority in the legislature.
Beshear attacked his opponent’s view that there should be no exceptions for rape or incest when it comes to abortion.
In his victory speech this week, Beshear praised Hadley Duvall, a young woman who appeared in one of his campaign ads where she condemns Republican Daniel Cameron’s support for the state’s abortion ban without exceptions for rape and incest.
“Because of her courage, this commonwealth is going to be a better place and people are going to reach out for the help they need,” Beshear said.
However, Beshear remains powerless to alter the near-total ban on abortion imposed by Kentucky’s conservative Supreme Court.
The latest wins for Democrats signal a positive change for all women in the US.
In June last year, the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v Wade effectively removed the constitutional right to abortion for Americans.
Following the decision, 14 states introduced near-total bans on abortion, while six others passed strict limits on abortion access.