Outcome of the recent state-level polls in the US has shown that women want to enjoy their Right to Abortion.

Several states of the US held polls on November 7, 2023 to elect supervisors of some districts, commissioners and members of State Councils. At the same time, voting was also done on several sensitive issues in order to know the public opinion on them. It is supposed to help the concerned authorities in different states to make provincial laws related to those issues. This time, one such important issue was the Right to Abortion.

It may be noted that Roe versus Wade, 410 US 113 (1973) was a landmark decision of the US Supreme Court in which the Court had ruled that the Constitution of the US generally protected a Right to have an Abortion. However, the Supreme Court went against its 1971 verdict on June 24, 2022, saying that the states would make a final decision on Abortion Law. Thereafter, a number of states, from North Dakota in the north to Texas in the south and West Virginia in the east to Idaho in the west, prohibited abortion. When it came to the ballot on November 7, 2023 whether the decision would become a law, the US citizens (especially women) made it clear that they would like to take a final call as far as abortion was concerned.

The results of the polls in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia are noteworthy. Although the Republicans rule Kentucky, Democrats are in power in Virginia and Ohio’s Governor is also a Republican, the two parties fought really hard in polls. In spite of political differences, voters showed consensus on the issue of abortion in these three states. Women’s Rights activists, who have been fighting in these provinces for a long time, have made it possible.

Democrats and Republicans fight hard against each other in the battleground states of Ohio and Virginia. Ohio is somewhat a conservative state. In this Red State, voters were asked in a rare first to affirmatively vote Yes to a constitutional amendment establishing a Right to Abortion or No to preserve the status quo established by courts. It was declared constitutional with 56% of the votes. As the Governor of Ohio is a Republican and the Republicans enjoy the majority in the State Assembly, getting this issue on the ballot in this state was a great challenge for Women’s Rights activists. The State Assembly had introduced a proposal to ban abortion after six weeks of pregnancy in August 2023. However, the voters completely rejected the proposed move, with women making it clear that they would never allow the Government to interfere in their Fundamental Rights.

Although there was no direct question of women’s Right to Abortion on the ballots in Virginia, Republican Governor Glenn Allen Youngkin proposed banning abortions in the state after 15 weeks of pregnancy. As the Democrats won both Houses in the Virginia Assembly this election, it seems unlikely that the proposal would pass.

Republicans enjoy the majority in both chambers of the Kentucky State Assembly. Meanwhile, Democrat Kentucky Governor Andy Besher won re-election on November 7, defeating Republican candidate Attorney General Daniel Jay Cameron. One of the agendas of Cameron’s electoral campaign was to introduce a strict Abortion Law. In response to the same, Governor Besher stressed on the need for abortion for abused minors and socially marginalised girls. The defeat of Cameron suggests that the voters have welcomed Besher’s decision.

The outcome of November 7 polls shows that the Basic Rights of women shall be a significant determinant in the 2024 US Presidential Elections. Jill (43), who preferred not to mention her last name, said that she voted ‘Yes’ “as a woman to protect my reproductive rights“. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has called efforts to curb reproductive rights “extreme and dangerous“.

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das