Unofficial results reported by the Ohio Secretary of State's office indicate 57% percent of voters opposed the proposal.
Pro-life Ohioans pushed for the ballot measure in response to a separate proposal on the November 7 ballot. The November 7 proposal would enshrine a "right to carry out one's own reproductive decisions" into the state's constitution. If successful, this would prohibit the state from enforcing laws to protect unborn children from abortion at any gestational age.
Parental rights groups further argue that the proposal would prevent parents from being involved in their children's decisions to have abortions or undergo transgender surgeries.
Notably, political groups in support of the August 8 proposal were outspent nearly 3 to 1. Most of this fundraising in opposition to Proposal 1 came from interest groups outside the state of Ohio. This likely drove higher pro-abortion turnout to the special election
President Joe Biden hailed the results in a statement: “This measure was a blatant attempt to weaken voters’ voices and further erode the freedom of women to make their own health care decisions. Ohioans spoke loud and clear, and tonight democracy won.”
Ohio House Speaker Jason Stephens (R) called on pro-lifers to focus on the upcoming abortion-rights proposal. “It is now time to turn our attention to November. As a 100% pro-life conservative, we must defeat Issue 1 on November 7 to stop abortion from being a part of our state’s constitution.”
