On the Day of the Trump Election: 7 U.S. States Vote for the Right to Abortion

A news item from the U.S. yesterday that didn’t quite fit with the others: “Several U.S. states vote for the right to abortion” (Tagesschau).

A piece of news from the U.S. yesterday that didn’t quite fit with the others: *”Several U.S. States Vote for the Right to Abortion”* (Tagesschau).

“Alongside the election of the U.S. president, some states also voted on laws regarding abortion. In seven states, voters supported adding the right to abortion to the state constitution.” A total of ten states held votes.

Voters supported the right in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Nevada, Montana, and New York. In Missouri, they voted to legalize abortion—this after it had previously been banned even in cases of rape.

In Florida, the vote narrowly failed, meaning abortions remain banned after the 6th week of pregnancy. In South Dakota, the situation remains unchanged: abortions are only allowed if the mother’s life is in danger; there are no exceptions, such as in cases of rape or incest. In Nebraska, a ban on abortions after the 12th week of pregnancy will now be added to the state constitution.

Before the presidential election, there had already been referendums on abortion rights in seven other U.S. states. In all of them, supporters of women’s right to choose were successful.

Immediately following the 2022 Supreme Court ruling, which left abortion regulations up to individual states, many Republican-led states banned abortions, with few exceptions.
However, since then, the number of abortions has slightly increased.