Following the 2022 Supreme Court decision that overturned Roe vs Wade, the future of reproductive rights is in the hands of the citizens of the United States.
In the November 5 elections alone, 10 referendums related to reproductive rights were put to a vote, in addition to 6 other initiatives that had been previously voted on.
The good news is that 7 of the referendums to protect reproductive rights were approved by voters, according to monitoring conducted by the Kaiser Family Foundation.
Arizona
Arizona approved by majority an initiative that protects abortion until the viability of the fetus AND protects the life and health of the pregnant person
Colorado
Colorado passed a referendum that recognizes the right to abortion and repeals a previous constitutional amendment that prohibited the use of state funds to provide abortion coverage.
Maryland
Maryland guaranteed the right to reproductive freedom, including the ability to prevent, continue, or terminate one’s pregnancy.
Missouri
Missouri banned abortion and protected reproductive freedom and the ability to make and effectuate reproductive health decisions, including abortion up to viability.
Nebraska
Nebraska amended the constitution to ban second- and third-trimester abortion except in medical emergencies or when the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest.
Nevada
Nevada established a fundamental right to abortion up to fetal viability or when necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant person.
New York
New York amended the Equal Rights Constitution to include protections against discrimination regarding pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, reproductive health care, and autonomy.
Florida, Nebraska, South Dakota
In contrast, a referendum in Florida to protect the right to abortion up to viability and when necessary to safeguard the health of the pregnant person failed. In Nebraska, an initiative to establish a fundamental right to abortion up to fetal viability failed. The same in South Dakota.
Wyoming
And just this week, Teton County District Court Judge Melissa Owens ruled that two state abortion bans violated the Wyoming Constitution and could not be enforced. One of them prohibited the use of abortion pills.
Polls made it clear that for the first time in several election cycles, the issue of reproductive rights was at the top of the list of concerns among voters in the United States.
And referendums have become a crucial tool for citizens to make direct decisions about this fundamental right. In this way, the most important public policies can be determined by the free, secret and, we hope, well-informed vote of citizens.
