Voters in several US states made it clear that they supported abortion rights even after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade earlier this year.
Three states, Vermont, California, and Michigan, moved to protect reproductive freedoms and provide abortion protections in their state constitutions. Voters in those states voted to defend reproductive rights in their states through ballot measures that sought to either restrict or protect abortion.
Kentucky residents voted against a proposed anti-abortion constitutional amendment that would have made abortion in the state illegal.
Voters in Montana rejected an anti-abortion referendum titled Born Alive Infant Protection Act, which would declare infants born alive after abortion as legal persons. The bill would also impose criminal penalties on doctors and healthcare professionals who do not save the lives of these infants.
Vermont was the first state in the US to vote for constitutional amendments that would further protect reproductive freedoms after a majority of its voters cast ballots in its favor. The amendment won with over 77% of the votes. Although a law passed in 2019 already protected abortion rights in Vermont, the amendments will provide more protections.
As was widely expected, California also voted to protect abortion rights, which won with about 65% of the state vote. The amendment will ensure that California women’s rights to reproductive autonomy will not be interfered with no matter what happens in the future.
Michigan was one of the most watched states about the abortion ballot measure as it is widely Republican. Republicans have historically tried to get a near-total abortion ban enforced in the state since 1931. However, the residents seemed to agree with the Democrat’s fight to preserve reproductive autonomy, and they voted for a constitutional amendment protecting the right to abortion in the state. Fifty-six percent of voters agreed to include the amendment in the state’s constitution.
The CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, Nancy Northup, was pleased about the outcome, saying that it was a massive victory for reproductive rights in the predominantly Republican state of Michigan.
Even though there was a lot of anticipation about how Michigan residents would vote, it was not the most shocking outcome. Kentucky, a state deeply rooted in Christianity and Republican beliefs, voted against a constitutional amendment that did not recognize abortion rights. Fifty-two percent of Kentucky residents chose to trash an amendment that said the state would not set any money aside for abortion care.
The results were shocking, especially since Kentucky had been listed as the fourth state with the most anti-abortion views in the US, according to a 2022 research analysis.
Kimberly Inez, Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equality Executive Director, said that the results in the four states proved that reproductive rights were a winning issue in the US.
Following the Supreme Court’s Roe v Wade decision, Democrats and numerous abortion rights groups have spent millions of dollars campaigning against supporters of restricted abortion care. It seems their investments are starting to pay off.