ROANOKE, Va. – Abortion rights were on 11 states’ ballots yesterday where voters decided whether or not to enshrine reproductive rights in their states’ constitutions.
Maryland and Colorado passed abortion rights amendments.
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New York banned discrimination based on pregnancy outcomes.
Missouri also undid one of the nation‘s most restrictive abortion bans. Currently, abortion is barred at all stages of pregnancy with the exceptions for medical emergencies that put a woman’s life at risk. Under the change, lawmakers would be able to restrict abortions past the point of a fetus’s viability.
Arizona voters also chose to enshrine abortion rights in their state constitution last year.
“I am feeling so thrilled and thankful for the voters of Arizona. We knew that this issue was popular. We know that this issue resonates with folks, the freedom to make decisions about our own health care and our own bodies is something that touches people from across the spectrum. But Arizona voters have spoken really decisively and clearly tonight,” said Yes on 139 Campaign Manager Laura Dent.
The amendment votes come more than two years after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe vs. Wade and ended the federal constitutional right to an abortion.
Meanwhile, abortion opponents in Florida prevailed on measures to change the state’s constitution. The proposed change fell short of the required 60 percent to pass.
“We will not allow this moment to overshadow each and every one of our efforts, we will continue to push forward because we have no choice but to. Because 84,000 patients depend on every last one of you in this room,” said Activist Sarah Parker.
Currently in Virginia, abortion is legal. However, the state bans it after about 26 weeks of pregnancy.