Tuesday, voters in five states will decide on ballot measures related to abortion. These measures have become more important since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the Roe v. Wade decision, which made abortion legal everywhere.
In August, conservative voters in Kansas voted against a ballot measure that would have taken abortion rights out of the state’s constitution. Here are some details about the upcoming votes:
CALIFORNIA
A proposition that would codify the right to an abortion in the constitution of the state is being supported by the Democratically-controlled state legislature as well as campaigners for reproductive rights.
The measure would put an end to years of work put in by advocates in the state, which leans to the left, to protect abortion rights. This effort has included recent funding to assist people who live in states where the procedure has been limited or banned in their pursuit of medical care in California.
VERMONT
Residents of Vermont will also vote on whether or not to include an amendment to the state constitution to preserve abortion rights. The ballot issue has already received the requisite two votes of approval from the state legislature, which is controlled by the Democratic party.
Abortion is on the ballot in Kalazamoo.
Proud to be backing @KimGANEPossible in MI’s 20th District. She’s a champion of reproductive freedom who knows that the stakes have never been higher for Michiganders’ fundamental rights. https://t.co/mztqt5cGi4
— NARAL (@NARAL) November 7, 2022
It is the culmination of actions to shore up abortion rights, including a new state reproductive rights law, that began in 2019 after the appointments of Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh to the United States Supreme Court cemented the conservative majority on the court. It is important to note that these actions began after the conservative majority on the court was cemented by the appointments of Gorsuch and Kavanaugh.
MICHIGAN
A proposed constitutional amendment in Michigan, a state that is pivotal in the presidential election, would legalise abortion and make it a right.
The state’s legislature is controlled by Republicans, while the state’s governor is a Democrat who is running for re-election. Reproductive rights advocates believe that such laws would secure continued access to abortion in the state.
When Roe v. Wade was reversed, some conservative Republicans in the state wanted to see whether they could get away with enforcing an abortion prohibition that had been in place since 1931. However, on September 7 a judge determined that the ban, which did not make any exceptions for rape or incest, was in violation of the constitution of the state and hence could not be enforced.
According to a survey that was conducted in September and commissioned by the Detroit News and WDIV-TV, sixty per cent of probable voters in Michigan said they would support an amendment to the state’s constitution that would guarantee abortion rights.
KENTUCKY
A proposal in the politically conservative state of Kentucky would create the precedent that the constitution of that state does not recognise or safeguard the right to have an abortion.
According to campaign finance statistics obtained from the state as of October 9th, opponents of the proposal had raised approximately $2.7 million, while supporters had brought in $510,000.
MONTANA
The issue of a so-called “born alive” law, which would mandate the provision of medical care to infants born alive following an unsuccessful abortion, will be put to a vote by the state’s voters in Montana.
The affirmation that all infants born alive are considered to be legal persons in the state is motivated by the belief held by some anti-abortion activists that babies have been left to die after abortion, labour, or “extraction,” such as a caesarean section. This belief drives the motivation behind the measure.
If a physician fails to provide necessary medical attention to a patient who is still alive, they could face a fine of up to $50,000 and up to 20 years in prison. The scant information available on these kinds of instances implies that they are uncommon and that when they do occur, they most usually involve foetuses that are suffering from serious illnesses that make it highly improbable that they would survive.
In recent years, several other conservative states have implemented legislation that is comparable to this one.
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