Republican Pushes to Overturn Ohio Election Result

A Republican state representative in North Dakota has urged authorities in Ohio to "ignore the results" of Tuesday's election, in which voters backed a motion entrenching the right to an abortion in the state constitution.

Ohioans voted by 56.6 percent versus 43.4 percent to support Issue 1, which inserted the "right to make and carry out one's own reproductive decisions" into the Ohio constitution. The poll was just one of a string of GOP reverses on Tuesday, which also saw Democrats take control of both chambers of the state legislature in Virginia and extend their majority on the Pennsylvania Supreme Court.

Abortion access has become highly contentious at the state level since the Supreme Court voted to overturn Roe v. Wade, a 1973 ruling that made abortion access a constitutional right, in June 2022. In response, some Democratic-controlled states have sought to entrench abortion rights in their own constitutions, while a number of their Republican counterparts have introduced restrictions.

Writing on X, formerly Twitter, North Dakota State Representative Brandon Prichard argued Tuesday's Issue 1 vote in Ohio should be ignored.

He said: "Direct democracy should not exist. Case-in-point: Ohio legalizing the slaughter of babies.

"It would be an act of courage to ignore the results of the election and not allow for the murder of Ohio babies. We are probably 10 years away from this opinion being acceptable though."

Ohio has a Republican governor in Mike DeWine, with the GOP also controlling both chambers of the state legislature, though none of these have suggested they will flat out ignore Tuesday's election result.

Prichard was challenged by Liam Siegler, a writer who has been published by the conservative National Review, who said: "I don't like today's results either but we have a constitution for a reason."

The North Dakota Republican replied: "'Our political process which has been high jacked by progressives over the last 100 years is the reason to allow the murder of babies.' Sorry friend, not a good take."

Newsweek has reached out to Prichard, who has previously called on conservative states to "put into code that Jesus Christ is King and dedicate their state to Him," for comment by email.

Currently abortion in Ohio is legal until 22 weeks of pregnancy, but supporters of Issue 1 argued this could be reduced to six weeks without exemptions unless that state constitution was changed.

Ohio is the seventh state overall, and first Republican-led state, to vote to entrench the right to an abortion in its constitution.

Reacting to the news in a statement on Tuesday night, President Joe Biden said: "Ohioans and voters across the country rejected attempts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion bans."

However, anti-abortion group Protect Women Ohio vowed to continue the fight, commenting: "Our hearts are broken tonight not because we lost an election, but because Ohio families, women and children will bear the brunt of this vote. We stand ready during this unthinkable time to advocate for women and the unborn."

Responding to Tuesday's election outcomes, House Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene, a GOP hardliner, urged anti-abortion campaigners to produce more graphic adverts to demonstrate that "abortion kills lives."

She commented: "Producing ads that graphically show the truth of an abortion as a baby is being ripped apart or dies lying on a cold metal trey gasping for air after being ripped out of its mother's womb is the truth America needs to see versus the democrat's never ending ads lying to women that baby murder is their right.

"Too offensive? No not for America and definitely not for democrats."