ReutersSeven U.S. states have approved measures to protect or expand abortion rights, but efforts to restore protections for the procedure failed in Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska.
Republicans have made broad gains in races across the United States, pushing Donald Trump to a decisive victory with mixed results.
Voters are being asked to weigh in on abortion access in 10 states in this election, the first major presidential race since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state abortion rights two years ago.
The fight at the state level is an effort by abortion rights activists to take back or preserve abortion access after many states banned or imposed restrictions on abortion following the ruling.
Democrats also hope the issue can help galvanize voters to their side this election and believe anger over the issue helped the party do better than expected in the 2022 midterm elections.
Vice President Kamala Harris has focused on the issue throughout the campaign, calling out women across party lines.
But that momentum didn’t hold up this year, as exit polls showed abortion ranked lower than issues like the economy and democracy.
In Missouri, a state staunchly supportive of Donald Trump, abortion rights activists still scored a major victory, with voters approving an amendment aimed at overturning the state’s near-total abortion ban.
In Arizona, another state Trump won, more than 60% of voters supported an amendment to protect abortion rights until the point is feasible (around 24 weeks). The measure extends the visit period currently allowed under state rules by 15 weeks.
But a similar proposal in Florida received only 57% support, just short of the 60% threshold needed to pass.
The defeat would keep in place the state’s strict law enacted earlier this year that bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, with limited exceptions.
This measure has faced strong Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has used State resources are used to persuade voters to vote “no”.
It also became a political conundrum for Trump, who initially seemed to support the change but later said he would vote against After facing opposition from within his own party.
Betsy Linkhorst, a first-time voter in Florida, said the state’s election results left her “heartbroken, scared, and frankly worried about the future.”
“This is a very important opportunity to protect women’s rights and our ability to make decisions about our own bodies,” the 18-year-old said.
Maria McNally, who voted against the amendment, said she believed it would allow abortion during pregnancy.
“I’m glad it failed,” she said.
The American voters facing the abortion issue on the ballot this year come from states with varying laws on abortion.
The issues they are asked to decide also vary, although most initiatives propose establishing a state right to abortion before the fetus is viable (approximately the 24th week of pregnancy).
In previous election cycles, movements to restore or protect abortion access through the use of state-level ballot initiatives have had success, including in reliably conservative states like Kansas.
But the results of this election have largely solidified the reality that American women face vastly different access to abortions depending on where they live.
Voters in Nebraska and South Dakota rejected measures to expand abortion access, while in Maryland and Colorado, where abortion is currently legal, voters approved measures to write abortion rights into state constitutions.
In the case of Colorado, the amendment would also expand access, allowing government health insurance plans to cover abortions.
In Montana and Nevada, abortion is currently legal until it is available, and voters approved measures to write the right into the constitution.
In Nevada, a majority of voters must approve the measure again within two years for the amendment to take effect.
New York, where abortion is legal until viable, approved an amendment banning discrimination based on pregnancy or reproductive health.
In Nebraska, voters face two competing abortion initiatives. They rejected a bill that would have considered abortion a pre-living right and approved the state’s current rule banning abortion after the 12th week of pregnancy with some exceptions, including incest, rape and to save the mother’s life.
