What do the US election results mean for abortion rights? | US News

One of the issues which brought voters to polls across America for this year’s presidential election was abortion and reproductive rights.

Votes are still being tallied in many states America, but in Florida, Colorado, Maryland and New York, major changes have already been voted on in relation to abortion.

Results from six other states with abortion measures on the ballot are still up in the air.

Voters defeated a measure to add abortion rights to the Florida state constitution but sided with abortion rights advocates on ballot measures in Colorado, Missouri, Maryland and New York.

Let’s take a deeper look at some of the new measures, and what they mean for abortion rights.

Florida

In the sunshine state, most voters supported the Florida measure which proposed adding abortion rights to the state constitution, but it fell short of the required 60% to pass constitutional amendments in the state.

The result was a political win for Republican governor Ron DeSantis that will keep in place the state’s ban on most abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy.

It is the first ballot measure victory for abortion opponents in any state since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade in 2022, a decision that ended the nationwide right to abortion.

‘The reality is because of Florida’s constitution a minority of Florida voters have decided Amendment 4 will not be adopted,’ said Lauren Brenzel, campaign director for the Yes on 4 Campaign said while wiping away tears. ‘The reality is a majority of Floridians just voted to end Florida’s abortion ban.’

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement that the result is ‘a momentous victory for life in Florida and for our entire country’, praising Mr DeSantis for leading the charge against the measure.

The defeat makes permanent a shift in the Southern abortion landscape that began when Florida’s six-week ban took effect in May.

That removed Florida as a destination for abortion for many women from nearby states with deeper bans and also led to far more women from the state travelling to obtain abortion.

The nearest states with looser restrictions are North Carolina and Virginia – hundreds of miles away.

Maryland

In Maryland, the abortion rights amendment is a legal change that will not make an immediate difference to abortion access in a state that already allows it.

Voters in the New England state enshrined the right to an abortion in the state’s constitution today – a major win for Democrats.

Colorado

The Colorado measure which proposed putting the right to an abortion in the state constitution, exceeding the 55% of support required to pass.

Colorado’s law also undoes an earlier amendment that barred using state and local government funding for abortion, opening the possibility of state Medicaid and government employee insurance plans covering care.

New York

A New York equal rights law that abortion rights group say will bolster abortion rights also passed in New York.

It does not contain the word ‘abortion’, but rather bans discrimination on the basis of ‘pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive healthcare and autonomy’.

Sasha Ahuja, campaign director of New Yorkers for Equal Rights, called the result ‘a monumental victory for all New Yorkers’ and a vote against opponents who she says used misleading parental rights and anti-trans messages to thwart the measure.

Other states

Abortion has been a hot topic issue in America for decades. Earlier this year, it was revealed 50% of states in America which have abortion bans do not have exceptions for cases of rape or incest.

These include Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Arkansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, South Dakota, Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio.

In April, the highest court in Arizona revived a ban on nearly all abortions based on a 19th century law.

Arizona’s Supreme Court on Tuesday sided 4-2 with an anti-abortion obstetrician and a county prosecutor who pushed for the 1864 law to be upheld.

It comes after the US Supreme Court in June 2022 overturned its landmark Roe v Wade decision that established a constitutional right to abortion nationwide. The ruling left abortion rights to be determined by the states.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk.

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