Seven US states expand rights as Florida vote fails

Seven states in the US have approved measures protecting or expanding abortion rights, but efforts to restore protections for the procedure have failed in Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska.

The mixed results came as the Republican Party won widespread victories in contests across the US, propelling Donald Trump to a decisive victory.

Voters have been asked to weigh in on questions about abortion access in 10 states in this election – the first major presidential contest since the US Supreme Court struck down a national right to abortion. with this procedure two years ago.

The state-level fights are an effort by abortion rights advocates to revoke or maintain access to the practice, after many states banned or imposed restrictions on abortion following the ruling. decided.

Democrats also hope the issue will help attract voters to their side in this election, saying anger over the issue has helped the party achieve a better-than-expected performance in the election. midterm elections in 2022.

Vice President Kamala Harris has focused on this issue throughout her campaign, appealing to women of all stripes.

But that momentum hasn’t emerged consistently this year, as polls show abortion ranked below topics like the economy and democracy.

In Missouri, which unequivocally supported Donald Trump, abortion rights advocates still scored a major victory when voters approved an amendment that overturned the state’s near-total ban on abortion.

In Arizona, another state where Trump is leading, more than 60% of voters supported an amendment that would protect abortion rights up to the point of viability – about 24 weeks. The measure expands access from the 15 weeks currently allowed under state regulations.

But a similar proposal in Florida barely reached the 60% threshold needed to pass and only won 57% support.

A defeat would eliminate a strict law the state enacted earlier this year banning abortion after the sixth week of pregnancy, with limited exceptions.

This measure was met with strong opposition opposition from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who used state resources to persuade voters to vote “no.”

It also became a political headache for Trump, who initially appeared to favor the change, but later said he would vote against it after resistance from his own party.

Betsy Linkhorst, a first-time voter in Florida, said the election results in her state left her “heartbroken, scared and, frankly, worried for the future.”

“This is an important opportunity to protect women’s rights and our ability to make decisions about our bodies,” the 18-year-old said.

Maria McNally, who voted against the amendment, said she believed it would allow abortions too far into pregnancy.

“I’m glad it failed,” she said.

Voters in the United States facing questions about abortion on the ballot this year come from states with widely varying laws surrounding abortion.

The questions they are asked to decide are also diverse, although most initiatives propose establishing a state right to abortion until the fetus is viable – around the 24th week of life. pregnancy.

In past election cycles, campaigns to restore or protect abortion access using state-level ballot propositions have met with success, including in reliably conservative states like Kansas.

But the results from this election largely reinforce the fact that women in America face widely varying access to abortion depending on where they live.

Voters in Nebraska and South Dakota rejected measures that would have expanded access, while in Maryland and Colorado, where abortion is now legal, voters approved measures that would have established the right to allowed to carry out this procedure in the state constitution.

In Colorado’s case, the amendment would also expand access, allowing abortion to be covered under government health insurance programs.

In Montana and Nevada, where abortion is now legal until viable, voters approved measures enshrining that right in the constitution.

In Nevada, a majority of voters would have to re-approve the measure in two years for the amendment to be enacted.

New York, where abortion is legal until viable, approved an amendment aimed at preventing discrimination based on pregnancy or reproductive health.

In Nebraska, voters face two competing abortion initiatives. They rejected a law that would make abortion a right until feasible and approved existing state regulations that ban abortion after the 12th week of pregnancy, with some exceptions, including incest, rape and saving the mother’s life.