Building a Statewide Movement for Reproductive Freedom
Background
When the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, the fight over abortion rights moved back to the states.
Ohio was already passing some of the country’s most restrictive abortion laws, including a six-week abortion ban. With Republicans controlling state government and little possibility of legislative action, reproductive rights advocates turned to one of the few remaining options: a citizen-led amendment to the Ohio Constitution.
A small group of physicians formed Ohio Physicians for Reproductive Rights and began the enormous task of building a statewide campaign. In only a few months, they needed to collect roughly 700,000 signatures to ensure they met the state’s requirement of approximately 400,000 valid signatures to qualify for the November 2023 ballot.
They needed to quickly build a recognizable brand, recruit thousands of volunteers, raise money, and create the infrastructure necessary to support a statewide petition drive.
Catalyst
Catalyst helped develop ProtectChoiceOhio into a modern campaign identity and digital organizing platform designed around one goal: turning public support for reproductive freedom into action.
We created ProtectChoiceOhio.com and #ProtectChoiceOhio along with a distinctive spearmint evergreen and fluorescent pink visual identity that stood apart from traditional political and reproductive rights branding.
The website was built as an acquisition and organizing tool rather than simply an informational site. Catalyst developed the volunteer and supporter infrastructure, petition-drive resource center, event and endorsement pages, fundraising tools, and rapid-response landing pages needed to support a fast-growing statewide campaign.
As the campaign evolved, we continuously optimized the site and supporter funnel. A new website interstitial alone tripled signups while directing supporters toward petition gathering and fundraising.
Catalyst also developed rapid-response creative designed to turn breaking news into organizing opportunities. Within 24 hours of a federal court ruling threatening access to mifepristone, we launched an animated campaign built around three simple ideas: Dobbs. Mifepristone. Fight Back. The creative spread through social media, text messages, supporter networks, and paid advertising while driving volunteers and low-dollar donors to the campaign.
Outcome
ProtectChoiceOhio helped turn a physician-led effort into a recognizable statewide campaign, building the early brand, digital infrastructure, volunteer recruitment, fundraising, and organizing tools needed to move the amendment toward the ballot.
On November 7, 2023, Ohio voters approved Issue 1 by 56.8% to 43.2%—a margin of more than 530,000 votes. The amendment enshrined reproductive freedom, including abortion rights, directly into the Ohio Constitution.
The victory was especially significant in a Republican-controlled state that had enacted a six-week abortion ban. Ohio demonstrated that reproductive rights could win decisively when voters were given the opportunity to decide the issue directly.
What began with a small group of physicians grew into a statewide movement that changed Ohio’s constitution—and helped establish a powerful post-Dobbs model for winning reproductive rights battles: build trusted messengers, create strong grassroots infrastructure, mobilize voters around freedom and individual rights, and take the question directly to the people.