Several US states voted in favor of ensuring abortion protections
New York, Colorado, Maryland and Missouri have voted in favor of constitutional amendments that would protect abortion access following the repeal of the Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade guaranteed this right at the federal level.
In the case of Maryland, where abortion is already legal, the reform constitution includes “the right to reproductive liberty, including and not limited to the ability to make decisions whether to prevent, continue, or terminate a pregnancy.” The measure complicates any efforts to roll back abortion rights.
In Missouri, where Donald Trump won with 63% of the vote and is the first to make abortion illegal after the repeal of Roe V. Wade approved a constitutional reform that protects the right to abortion, thus repealing a nearly complete ban. Citizen petition would legalize abortion up to 24 weeks. “We do not accept this nightmare being imposed on us,” said Tori Schaefer, associate director of policy and campaigns at the rights NGO ACLU of Missouri.
For its part, the measure in New York is not as clear-cut, as it expands anti-discrimination laws based on “sexual orientation, gender identity, gender, including pregnancy and reproductive health.”
Finally, Colorado, where there is currently no gestational limit, has also strengthened abortion protections in the constitution. The measure also eliminates the existing constitutional veto on public funding for abortion, which would allow states to cover the procedure through the Medicaid program.
Six other states have also voted on abortion protection measures. One of these measures has already failed in Florida, which would have kept an abortion ban in place through the sixth week. In this case, a majority of voters voted in favor of lifting abortion bans, but participation did not reach the required 60%.
“The reality is that a minority of Florida voters have decided that Amendment 4 will not be approved,” cried Lauren Brenzel, campaign director of the Yes on 4 campaign. “The reality is that a majority voted to end abortion restrictions in Florida,” he said.
Other states that have voted on abortion access are Arizona, South Dakota, Montana, Nebraska and Nevada and there is still no result.