Most states considering abortion rights amendments have approved them

Ten states considered adding language guaranteeing abortion rights to their state constitutions in this year’s elections.

Voters in seven states approved ballot questions. Three of them rejected them.

The results represent a dramatic redrawing of the map of abortion access in some parts of the country. Half of the measures strengthen existing abortion protections already set out in state law.

States expanding access

in Missouri, has one of the strictest abortion bans in the country.Voters approved an amendment that would guarantee access to abortion up to the point of fetus viability, usually up to the 24th week of pregnancy.

Missouri became the first state to ban abortion, even in cases of rape and except in medical emergencies. Roe v. wade In 2022.

Abortion rights advocates Hundreds of thousands of signatures were collected To vote on the amendment to legalize abortion until fetal viability, which is approximately 24 weeks.

In Arizona, voters approved a ballot measure that would enshrine abortion rights to the point of being enshrined in the state constitution; This was a regulation that would likely overturn the state’s 15-week abortion law.

The measure also allows exceptions for abortions beyond the point of viability for the purpose of preserving the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.

Supporters of citizen-led initiative to qualify for vote More than 800,000 signatures were collected – more than twice the required threshold – and raised $32 million – 25 times more than competitors raised.

States that reject abortion-related changes

defenders proposal to add abortion rights The challenge to Florida’s constitution faced a formidable challenge because passage required 60 percent approval and the state’s Republican leadership opposed it.

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Vote, state six-week abortion ban will remain in place. Abortion rights advocates worry this would delay care and endanger women’s lives.

The amendment’s failure leaves access tightly limited in the south, where most states ban abortions either at any time during pregnancy or up to six weeks when many people do not know they are pregnant.

In Nebraska, voters backed the state’s 12-week abortion ban against a rival proposal to allow abortions until the fetus is viable.

The constitutional amendment bans abortion in the second and third trimesters, with some exceptions. It also allows lawmakers to further restrict access to abortion.

A rival proposal to expand abortion rights failed to garner enough votes.

Voters in South Dakota rejected an abortion rights amendment that would have approved one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. The only exception is to save the woman’s life. There are no exceptions for health or pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.

Leslie Unruh is with the Life Defense Fund group, which opposed the South Dakota amendment. The difference comes down to funding and organization, he says.

“I’ve never seen people work this hard on a campaign. Door to door. Phone call. Give as a sacrifice. It was truly embarrassing for me to watch and see this. I’ve been involved in a lot of politics over the years. This is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. “It’s great,” he said.

States that have legalized existing abortion rights

Colorado is already a regional hub for abortion access. Voters on Tuesday approved an amendment that would codify abortion protections, including banning local governments from passing their own laws to restrict abortion. This lifts Colorado’s existing constitutional ban on public funding for abortions and allows the state to cover the procedure under Medicaid and add it to state employees’ health plans.

Abortion in Nevada is one step closer to being constitutionally protected after voters approved a statewide ballot question, but the measure will need to be passed again in 2026 to be fully approved.

The proposal would add language to the state constitution guaranteeing the right to an abortion until the fetus is viable. Abortion was already protected under Nevada law until it took effect under a 1990 ballot measure that legalized abortion under state law.

Although abortion is already legal in Maryland, voters there approved an amendment that will make it extremely difficult for future lawmakers to pass a law that could limit reproductive care without violating the state constitution.

Montana’s approval of the abortion amendment will not change the status quo; Access to abortion is already protected by a 1999 Montana Supreme Court precedent that found the state’s right to privacy protects the right to terminate a pregnancy.

The courts approved this precedent decision In recent years, the state’s Republican-majority government has tried to restrict abortion.

Montana Constitution under new amendment Will now explicitly prohibit the government from imposing burdens on the right to abortion before fetal viability – around week 24 of pregnancy. The measure also guarantees access to abortion after viability to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person.

In New York, New York voters approved an amendment designed to strengthen the legal basis for the state’s existing abortion access and protect against various forms of discrimination.

Attempt Put to vote by Democrat-controlled Legislature Two years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Roe v. In response to the decision to overturn the Wade case.

Although the word “abortion” is not included in the amendment argues that no one can are discriminated against because of “gender, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health and autonomy.”

Credits: Katherine Davis Young, KJZZ, Bente Birkeland, Colorado Public Radio, Regan McCarthy, WFSU, Scott Maucione, WYPR, Jason Rosenbaum, St. Louis Public Radio, Shaylee Ragar, Montana Public Radio, Elizabeth Rembert, Nebraska Public Media, Lucia Starbuck KUNR, Ian Pickus, WAMC, Lee Strubinger, South Dakota Public Broadcasting

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