In 2023, Ohioans overwhelmingly approved State Issue 1, enshrining reproductive rights in the Ohio Constitution. Since then, anti-choice legislators have introduced numerous bills that Abortion Forward Ohio says would “violate the constitutional rights of Ohioans, remove access to medical care, and push misinformation and abortion stigma.”
Stop the assault on our constitutional rights. Sign our petition and tell your legislators to reject attempts to erode reproductive freedom in Ohio.
Why It Matters
Soon after voters approved the Reproductive Freedom Amendment, anti-choice groups and their allies in the Ohio General Assembly launched a concerted effort to undermine access to abortion care. Abortion Forward Ohio identified 11 bills pending in the General Assembly as of March 25, 2026, that the organization says would interfere with constitutional rights, medical care and accurate health information.
Opponents promised to continue the fight.
On the night Issue 1 passed, Aaron Baer, president of the Center for Christian Virtue, said:
“We persevered for 50 years to overturn Roe v. Wade. Ours is a movement that has always endured and always will. Tomorrow, the work starts again.”— Aaron Baer, Center for Christian Virtue
Amy Natoce, spokesperson for the anti-abortion coalition Protect Women Ohio, said the movement still had numerous high-level allies—from the governor’s office to the state legislature.
Ohio Right to Life also declared that “the fight for life is by no means over. It has only just begun.”
These statements, the bills aimed at restricting reproductive freedom and the likelihood that anti-choice politicians will retain substantial power in the General Assembly after the next election make one thing clear: Ohio’s next governor will play a major role in the debate.
Where does Vivek Ramaswamy stand?
Ramaswamy says he is “unapologetically pro-life” and has described abortion as “a form of murder.” He has supported state-level six-week abortion bans, opposed Ohio’s Reproductive Freedom Amendment and favored restricting access to abortion medication.
After voters approved Issue 1 in 2023, Ramaswamy said he was “upset” and inaccurately claimed the amendment authorized abortion “all the way up to the time of birth without parental consent.” The amendment allows Ohio to prohibit abortion after fetal viability, with an exception when a treating physician considers an abortion necessary to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health.
In December 2023, Ramaswamy said the U.S. Supreme Court should invalidate the Food and Drug Administration’s approval of mifepristone, one of the two medications commonly used for medication abortion:
“It’s my opinion—it’s the Supreme Court’s that’ll matter, but I’m pretty sure they’re going to come down right where I am on this—that the FDA exceeded its statutory authority in using an emergency approval to approve something that doesn’t fit Congress’ criteria for what actually counts as an emergency approval.”— Vivek Ramaswamy, CNN town hall, December 2023
Endorsed by leading anti-abortion organizations
Ramaswamy is endorsed by Ohio Right to Life and the Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio. In announcing its endorsement, RTLACO President Kate Makra said:
“Vivek is unequivocally pro-Life, as he is convicted in his belief that life begins at conception. The Coalition looks forward to partnering with Vivek to foster a more vibrant culture of life in Ohio.”— Kate Makra, Right to Life Action Coalition of Ohio
The coalition called Ramaswamy an “action-oriented leader” committed to “curbing the tide of abortion in Ohio,” cited his work to defeat Issue 1 in 2023 and said he would fight for Ohioans “born and unborn.”
Ramaswamy’s running mate, Ohio Senate President Rob McColley, co-sponsored Ohio’s six-week “heartbeat” law, which did not include exceptions for rape or incest.
The fight to protect access to safe abortion care will continue in the years ahead. Join the battle by signing our petition and telling your state legislators to reject proposals that threaten our reproductive rights.