Voters Set To Decide On Key Abortion Matters In Ohio, Virginia, Kentucky
Abortion rights are in the hands of voters in different ways in three states Tuesday. In Ohio, Republicans are accused of using taxpayer funds to promote false anti-abortion claims ahead of the state constitutional amendment vote.
AP:
Abortion Debate Has Dominated This Election Year. Here Are Tuesday's Races To Watch
The most-watched races in Tuesday’s off-year general election have all been dominated by the ongoing debate over abortion rights. From a re-election bid for governor in Kentucky to a statewide ballot measure in Ohio to state legislative elections in Virginia, access to abortion has been a frequent topic in campaign debates and advertising, as it has since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its decision in June last year overturning Roe vs. Wade. Here’s a look at three major races and how abortion has shaped each contest. (Yon, 11/6)
The Wall Street Journal:
The Abortion-Rights Movement Is On A Winning Streak. Will Ohio Stop It?
As antiabortion groups work to turn the tide, they have piled millions of dollars into Ohio, spending more than they have on any state ballot initiative since Dobbs. They are still being outspent by more than two to one, campaign finance reports filed at the end of October show. (Bykowicz and Kusisto, 11/6)
Salon.com:
Ohio Republicans Use Taxpayer Funds To Boost "Absolutely False" Anti-Abortion Claims Ahead Of Vote
Reproductive rights groups are sounding the alarm over confusing ballot language and rampant anti-abortion misinformation surrounding Ohio's Issue 1 — a proposed amendment that would enshrine the right to an abortion in the Buckeye State's Constitution. Ohio voters will flock to polling places on Tuesday to weigh in on an array of state and local issues, including mayoral and school board races and a ballot question to legalize recreational marijuana. But none of the issues Ohioans will encounter has been more contentious — and more nationally anticipated — than Issue 1. (Tandanpolie, 11/6)
NPR:
What Virginia's Legislative Elections Could Spell For 2024 On Abortion Rights
Virginia voters are deciding whether to keep divided government at the state level. At stake is the chance to dramatically reshape abortion policy. (Khalil, 11/6)
The Messenger:
Democrats Hope Power Of Abortion Issue Keeps Beshear In Office In Kentucky
With abortion a front-and-center issue in Kentucky's gubernatorial election Tuesday, polls show popular Democratic incumbent Gov. Andy Beshear with a significant lead over Republican Attorney General Daniel Cameron. The race comes against the backdrop of a significant abortion-related win for the traditionally red state, where voters last year rejected a constitutional amendment aimed at removing any restrictions on abortion. Experts and abortion advocates see this year’s race and Beshear’s potential win as a continuation, at least in part, of a national winning streak for reproductive rights advocates, proving that Kentucky voters, and voters across the board, support abortion rights. (Himmelman, 11/6)
In related news —
The Texas Tribune:
Texas Teen Contraception Case Up On Appeal
For almost a year, Texas teens have been shut out of a federal program that allows minors to access birth control without parental consent. On Monday, a federal appeals court will review the court ruling that upended the longstanding Title X program, and decide whether to restore one of the only ways Texas teens can access confidential contraception. (Klibanoff, 11/6)
The Washington Post:
Abortion Debate Is Affecting Access To Drug Used After Miscarriages
Since losing her first pregnancy four months earlier, 32-year-old Lulu has struggled to return to her body’s old rhythms. Lulu, who asked to be identified only by her first name to protect her privacy, bled for six weeks after her miscarriage and hasn’t had a normal menstrual cycle since. Such disruptions aren’t uncommon after miscarriage, which affects roughly 1 in 10 known pregnancies. But for Lulu, they’ve also served as a persistent reminder that she couldn’t access the drug mifepristone — her preferred method of care — to help her body pass the miscarriage. Instead, her doctor prescribed a drug called misoprostol, which on its own is less effective. (Dewey, 11/5)
The Boston Globe:
Men Hold Antiabortion Rally At Planned Parenthood And On Boston Common
Scores of men who oppose abortion rights marched through part of Boston Saturday amid heckling from counterprotesters. The National Men’s March to Abolish Abortion and Rally for Personhood, which included several young boys, started early Saturday morning with a demonstration outside the Planned Parenthood center on Commonwealth Avenue and continued with a march to the Parkman Bandstand on Boston Common for a rally that ended shortly before noon. (Hillard, 11/4)
