US holds referendum on abortion on same ballot as presidential vote

Washington:

The right to abortion is perhaps the single most important issue in the US ahead of the November 5 presidential election. It affects 50 percent of the U.S. population and is a matter of the fundamental freedom of the individual, which is protected by the Fourteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. US Constitution.

During his term as president, Donald Trump overhauled the Supreme Court, which in 2022 gave states a free hand to decide their own abortion policies by overturning Roe vs. Wade, the federal guarantee of abortion access—and with it five decades of precedent to dismantle abortion rights protections around the world. US.

Now at least ten states in the US are holding referendums on the issue of abortion, and the questions about it will appear on the same ballots used to cast the vote to elect the next US president.

This is the first US presidential election to be held after access to abortion was banned or restricted in much of the US following a landmark Supreme Court ruling.

The outcome could have profound consequences, with the potential to undo restrictions affecting tens of millions of women. Democrats also hope the issue will mobilize a broader swath of the electorate in their favor.

Lately, women in the US are being forced to cross state lines to end their life-threatening pregnancies. “This is a health care crisis, and Donald Trump is the architect,” Kamala Harris has said.

THE REFERENDUMS

According to the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, “all persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No state may make or enforce any law. which will abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law, nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws. “

With November’s referendums, any constitutional amendment will enshrine reproductive rights at the state level, which were undermined by the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that led to restrictions on access to abortion.

Among the states affected by the U.S. Supreme Court ruling that made abortion restrictive are Arizona, Florida, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota holding referendums.

Currently, the other states where the vote on abortion rights is taking place are Colorado, Maryland, Montana, Nevada and New York.

WHAT IT WILL MEAN FOR THESE STATES

1. ARIZONA – In the state of Arizona, a crucial swing state, abortion is currently limited to fifteen weeks of pregnancy. Democrats hope the referendum will improve their chances of winning this key battleground state. Proposition 139, which will almost certainly pass, would protect abortions up to the point where the fetus is viable.

2. FLORIDA – This is the third most populous state in the US. Currently, abortion is banned in the state after six weeks of pregnancy. This period is so short that women are often only aware of their pregnancy after this period. Voters will choose on Nov. 5 whether to extend that time until the point of fetal viability, which is about 24 weeks of gestation. To be adopted, the proposed amendment must receive 60 percent of the votes cast. A recent poll found that 55 percent of Floridians support it, and 20 percent aren’t sure.

3. MISSOURI – The midwestern state of Missouri has one of the strictest abortion bans in the United States, with no exceptions, not even for rape or incest. The referendum proposes allowing abortion until the fetus is viable in the traditionally Republican state.

4. NEBRASKA – This is the state, abortion is legal up to 12 weeks. It is the only US state that will vote on two competing proposals. One would establish a “fundamental right” to abortion until the fetus is viable, while the other would ban it after the first trimester (13 weeks). The winning amendment will require 50 percent of the vote, and more votes than the competing initiative.

5. SOUTH DAKOTA – South Dakota has a similar abortion ban as Missouri, with the procedure only allowed to protect a mother’s life. Voters will now decide whether to restore the right to abortion during the first trimester.

6. COLORADO – Colorado is among a handful of states where abortion is legal with no pregnancy limits. A citizen-led initiative now proposes constitutionally protecting the right to abortion in the Democratic-led state.

7. MARYLAND – Maryland voters will decide whether to amend their constitution to anchor the right to abortion to the viability of the fetus.

8. MONTANA – Abortion is legal in Montana, a traditionally conservative state, until the fetus is viable, despite legal efforts to restrict access that have been blocked by judges. The proposed amendment would enshrine existing reproductive rights in the state constitution.

9. NEVADA – Voters in the western state of Nevada, where abortion is legal until fetal viability (24 weeks), will choose whether to enshrine this right in the state constitution.

10. NEW YORK – New York lawmakers introduced an amendment to further strengthen access to abortion, which is already legal until fetal viability, by including anti-discrimination protections for reproductive health care.