Ohio voters passed Issue 1, which will enshrine reproductive rights — including the right to an abortion, access to contraception and miscarriage care — in the state’s constitution, according to a projection from The Associated Press.

The measure includes creating legal protections for those who assist someone with reproductive medical treatment, prohibiting the state from penalizing or prohibiting abortion before an unborn child is deemed viable and allowing physicians of pregnant women to determine whether an unborn child is viable on a case-by-case basis.

Ohio is the seventh state where voters decided to protect abortion access after the landmark ruling and was the only state to consider a statewide abortion rights question this year.

“The future is bright, and tonight we can celebrate this win for bodily autonomy and reproductive rights,” Lauren Blauvelt, co-chair of Ohioans United for Reproductive Rights, which led support for the amendment, told a jubilant crowd of supporters.

The outcome of the intense, off-year election could be a bellwether for 2024, when Democrats hope the issue will energize their voters and help President Joe Biden keep the White House. Voters in Arizona, Missouri and elsewhere are expected to vote on similar protections next year.

Heather Williams, interim president of the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, which works to elect Democrats to state legislatures, said the vote in favor of abortion rights was a “huge victory.”

“Ohio’s resounding support for this constitutional amendment reaffirms Democratic priorities and sends a strong message to the state GOP that reproductive rights are non-negotiable,” she said in a statement.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, said her group would focus on promoting “compassionate pro-life messages for women and their children" to counter what she labeled a “campaign of fear” from abortion-rights supporters.

“For us, it’s very clear that post-Roe America, our movement is very much a marathon, not a sprint,” Kristan Hawkins, president of Students for Life of America said.

Currently in Ohio, abortion is legal through 22 weeks of pregnancy, which is most of the second trimester.

However, when the Supreme Court overturned the landmark case Roe v. Wade, the state passed a law called the “heartbeat bill,” which banned abortions after six weeks of pregnancy. That restriction was blocked in court, reversing it back to 22 weeks.

Before the Ohio vote, statewide initiatives in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana and Vermont had either affirmed abortion access or turned back attempts to undermine the right.

Lawmakers are reacting to the passage of Issue 1 in Ohio: 

"Tonight, Americans once again voted to protect their fundamental freedoms – and democracy won," President Joe Biden said. "In Ohio, voters protected access to reproductive health in their state constitution. Ohioans and voters across the country rejected attempts by MAGA Republican elected officials to impose extreme abortion bans that put the health and lives of women in jeopardy, force women to travel hundreds of miles for care, and threaten to criminalize doctors and nurses for providing the health care that their patients need and that they are trained to provide. This extreme and dangerous agenda is out-of-step with the vast majority of Americans. My Administration will continue to protect access to reproductive health care and call on Congress to restore the protections of Roe v. Wade in federal law once and for all."

"Today, Ohio voters approved a constitutional amendment to protect a woman’s right to make decisions about her own body. Voters turned out to safeguard reproductive rights and prevent extremists from enforcing an abortion ban that would harm women and criminalize doctors," said Vice President Kamala Harris. "The results in Ohio underscore what the vast majority of Americans believe: politicians should not interfere in decisions that should be between a woman and her doctor. Since the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, people across the country have voted to defend reproductive freedom every time it has appeared on the ballot – including in Kansas, California, Michigan, Montana, Kentucky, and Vermont."

The Associated Press contributed to this story.