by Stacy Jackson
November 8, 2023
Abortion activists in Ohio, Kentucky and Virginia triumph after taking a firm stance to protect rights to the procedure in Nov. 7 elections.
Abortion rights activists made their position on an issue that has been one of nationwide contention loud and clear in Ohio, Virginia, and Kentucky on Nov. 7 with election victories.
A passed amendment protecting abortion in Ohio and a strong Democratic presence in Virginia and Kentucky could mean that demand from abortion activists across the nation continue over a year after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, The Washington Post noted.
Activists turned out for Kentucky’s gubernatorial election and re-elected incumbent Democratic Gov. Andy Beshear over Republican nominee and former Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, according to USA Today. Beshear’s re-election to a second term could signal good news for abortion activists in the state where Republicans presently dominate. Beshear went after his Republican opponent’s support of an almost-complete ban on abortion where exceptions for the procedure would only be made for rape and incest, The Washington Post reported.
The Democrat said in a victory speech on Nov. 7 that Kentucky will be a better place because of people like Hadley Duvall, a young woman who shared how her stepfather sexually assaulted her in a viral campaign ad for Beshear.
“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.”
Similarly, Virginia is on track to put Democrats in power, as the party is projected to gain control of the state legislature, The Washington Post reported. Schuyler VanValkenburg—a Democrat—snagged a Republican-held seat in Richmond. VanValkenburg took a stance that abortion rights should be protected. Republicans in the state presented a 15-week abortion ban, arguing that most procedures would still happen as opposed to an all-out ban. Nonetheless, Democrats were projected to flip the House of Delegates and hold a narrow majority in the Senate.
In Ohio, abortion activists triumphed with the passing of an amendment that guarantees access to abortion. A Republican, Kate Wagner, shared her reasoning for siding with her Democratic counterparts on the matter of protecting abortion rights.
Wagner said, “My whole thing is that I don’t like the idea of typically old white men telling me what I should be able to do.” The outlet showed in a figure that Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati were among the cities where activists were most in favor of abortion rights.
