Ohio Supreme Court maintains most ballot language in abortion referendum

The Ohio Supreme Court on Tuesday issued a decision upholding most of the language in a proposed abortion rights measure, but ordered a rewrite of some terminology it said was misleading to voters.

The measure, which will face a vote in the fall, aims to enshrine abortion rights in the state. The court ordered that the state rewrite language referring to "citizens of the state" in the measure, contending that it might mislead voters into thinking the proposal would restrict the individual right to oppose abortion, the Associated Press reported.

It did, however, permit the question to keep its references to "unborn children," with which the pro-abortion group Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights had not taken issue. The group had contested five other linguistic choices in the measure, with the court only ordering the rewrite of the "citizens of the state" phrase.

The Nov. 7 election will mark the latest abortion rights battle in the wake of the Dobbs v. Jackson decision that overturned the constitutional right to an abortion established in the Roe v. Wade precedent.

Ben Whedon is an editor and reporter for Just the News. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter.