10 States Will Decide Future Of Abortion Access
News sources examine the measures — for and against abortion, or constitutional protections — in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota.
CBS News:These States Have Abortion Laws On The Ballot For The 2024 Election The 2024 election will not only decide who succeeds President Biden in the White House, but in 10 states, voters will also have the chance to weigh in on abortion access through ballot measures. The states are Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, and South Dakota. (Quinn and Hubbard, 11/4)
Where abortion is banned or strictly limited —
AP:Missouri: Voters To Decide Whether To Legalize Abortion In A State With A Near-Total Ban Missouri voters will decide Tuesday whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and undo a near-total ban on the procedure. The measure would guarantee people's right to make decisions about their reproductive health, such as whether to get an abortion, take birth control or get in vitro fertilization. Missouri currently allows abortions only in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. The amendment does not explicitly undo the law, meaning abortion-rights advocates would need to sue to overturn the ban if voters adopt the amendment. (Ballentine, 11/5)
AP:Nebraska: Competing Abortion Proposals Highlight A Record Spate Of Ballot Measures Nebraska is the first state to feature competing abortion amendments on the same ballot since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, ending the nationwide right to abortion and allowing states to decide for themselves. ...Because they're competing and therefore cannot both be enshrined in the constitution, the one that gets the most "for" votes would be adopted, the secretary of state's office said. (Beck, 11/5)
ABC News:Arizona: Inside The Abortion Ballot Measure Fight: One Family's Story Kristin and Dave Gambardella never expected the journey of growing their family to include an abortion procedure, but in summer 2023, the married couple nevertheless found themselves in a Planned Parenthood parking lot in Albuquerque, New Mexico, a seven-hour drive from their home in Tucson, Arizona. A week beforehand, a routine blood test at 17 weeks into Kristin's pregnancy had come back with devastating results. A follow-up ultrasound confirmed her doctors' fears. The fetus had a severe genetic abnormality. "They told us it was really a guaranteed short life, full of pain and surgeries and constant medical care," Gambardella said. "Dave is a stoic person," she said of her husband, "and I remember he just broke down and lost it. And that's when I really felt that feeling in my gut that was like, wow, this is pretty catastrophic." (Haslett and Schulze, 11/3)
SDPB:South Dakota: FormerPlanned Parenthood Director Talks '06, '08 Abortion Ballot Question Campaigns Kate Looby was the director of Planned Parenthood in South Dakota from 2003 to the end of 2008. During that time, voters twice rejected near total abortion bans during elections in 2006 and 2008. South Dakota voters are once again voting on abortion access, this time in the form of a Constitutional Amendment. SDPB's Lee Strubinger speaks with Looby about those campaigns and abortion advocacy in a notoriously anti-abortion state legislature. (Strubinger, 11/4)
The Guardian:Florida: The Future Of Abortion Might Come Down To Men At an early voting site in Tampa, 24-year-old Brandon McCray cited women's rights as one of his greatest concerns in the 2024 elections. It helped convince him to vote for Harris. "Amendment 4 would just protect a lot of women," he said. Banning abortion, he said, "is the biggest violation to a human right." McCray may be a relative anomaly among his peers. Appalled by the triple-punch of Donald Trump's victory in the 2016 election, the sexual violence exposed by the #MeToo movement in late 2017 and the 2022 overturning of Roe v Wade, young women have become the most progressive cohort ever measured in US history – but young men have inched towards the right. (Sherman, 11/3)
Central Florida Public Media:Florida: Abortion Amendment Causes Split With Doctors. What Does This Mean For Patients? The politics of abortion and Amendment 4 have shined a light on rifts among medical practitioners across the state. Amendment 4 would enshrine abortion protections into the state constitution, and physicians of varying specialties have come out both for and against the measure. "Having practiced now for over 20 years, I can't think of anything else in the past that has become so political," said Dr. Lynda Balint, an OB-GYN who teaches ethics in medicine at Rollins College in Winter Park. (Pedersen, 11/4)
Where abortion is legal —
CU Boulder Today:Colorado: On Election Eve, New Survey Gauges Where Voters Stand On Abortion Issue The findings come from the ninth annual Colorado Political Climate Survey. This year, the survey team polled 800 Coloradans on a range of issues—from how they may vote on a suite of ballot measures to their views on abortion, the economy, immigration and more. Likely voters favored Amendment 79, which would make abortion a constitutional right—with 58% in favor, 32% opposed and 10% unsure. Because this measure would amend Colorado's constitution, it requires 55% of the vote to pass. (Strain, 11/4)
Maryland Matters:Maryland: High-Profile Fight Over Abortion Is Not A First When Marylanders go to the polls Tuesday to decide the future of abortion rights in the state, it won't be for the first time. More than 30 years ago, when it looked like Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that recognized a right to an abortion, was in danger of being overturned, the General Assembly passed a law codifying the protections of Roe. That law was petitioned to referendum by abortion opponents in 1992, ending a two-year fight that began with a draining and emotional filibuster that brought business to a halt in the 1990 Senate for eight days. (Rydell, 11/4)
KTVQ:Montana: Opponents, Supporters Making Final Arguments On f passed, CI-128 would change the Montana Constitution, protecting the ability for people to have an abortion. In Billings, Bailey Desper has been standing near the intersection of Broadwater Avenue and Division Street, holding a sign in support of CI-128 for the past few days. "I just want to make it visual and just get people out to the polls," Desper said Monday morning. Desper said she believes that even just one person like herself standing on the street corner waving to traffic can make a difference. (Klepps, 11/4)
AP:Nevada: Abortion And Open Primaries Are On The Ballot. What To Know About The Measures It's been more than three decades since Nevada voters overwhelmingly approved a law allowing abortions until 24 weeks of pregnancy. Now they must decide if they want to make it a constitutional right. The 2024 election is only the first test of the measure seeking to enshrine the right to an abortion until the fetus can survive outside the womb, known as "fetal viability" which doctors say is after 21 weeks, with exceptions to save the mother's life or protect her health. Voters would again have to approve it in 2026 in order to amend the state constitution. It wouldn't expand current abortion access in the state, but supporters and organizers of the initiative say it adds an extra layer of protection. (Yamat, 11/5)
FOX 5 New York:New York: What Is Prop 1, And What Does It Have To Do With Abortion? This Election Day, New Yorkers are heading to the polls to decide on Proposition 1, also known as the "Equal Rights Amendment." This proposal aims to expand anti-discrimination protections in the state constitution, covering categories like ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, and "sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy." Although the words "abortion" or "LGBT" don't appear on the ballot, the measure could protect abortion rights and broaden protections for LGBTQ+ individuals. (Shivonne, 11/4)
This is part of the Morning Briefing, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations..
