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Petition calling for guaranteed access to abortion in Ohio certified: What's next

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost confirmed that he has certified a petition calling for guaranteed access to abortions.

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost announced on Thursday that he has certified a petition calling for a ballot measure for guaranteed access to abortion in the Buckeye State.

The petition, which was submitted last week by two groups advocating for abortion rights, calls for establishing "a fundamental right to reproductive freedom" with "reasonable limits." It would also require restrictions imposed past a fetus' viability outside the womb to be based on evidence of patient health and safety benefits, which is similar to the language that was used in a ballot measure that passed in Michigan last year.

According to Yost, his only role in the petition process is to determine whether the language submitted by the petitioners is "a fair and truthful summary of the proposed statute," which he did.

As for what's next, the proposal will move to the Ohio Ballot Board to determine whether it contains a single constitutional amendment or more than one. If certified by the board, the petitioners must then collect signatures from registered voters equal to at least 10 percent of the vote cast in the most recent gubernatorial election, including signatures from voters in at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. For each of those counties, the number must also equal at least 5 percent of the vote cast in the most recent gubernatorial election.

Should the sufficient amount of signatures be collected and verified by the Ohio Secretary of State at least 65 days before the election, the full text of the proposed amendment will then be placed on the ballot in the regular or general election that occurs subsequent to 125 days after the filing of the petition.

You can read the entirety of Yost's certification letter below.

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