
5 Things About State Votes to Protect Abortion Rights
Key Takeaways
- Arizona, Missouri, and Montana passed measures to protect abortion rights, overturning or challenging existing bans and establishing constitutional rights.
- Nevada's abortion protection measure requires a second vote in 2026 to be added to the state Constitution.
A total of 7 states passed ballot measures during the 2024 presidential election to enshrine abortion access into their state constitutions, though not all of them are immediately taking effect.
Abortion rights were on the ballot in the 2024 election, and 4 states that lent their votes to
State-level protection was also granted to Colorado, Maryland, and New York, all of which voted blue for the last 3 elections. However, measures were not passed in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota, which voted red in all 3 elections since 2016.
In June 2022, Trump’s 3 Supreme Court appointees were part of the majority that supported
He also recently said he will not sign a national abortion ban, but earlier this year showed support of a 15-week ban and said “he would sit down with both sides and negotiate a deal that everyone will be happy with,” Karoline Leavitt, the national press secretary for Trump’s campaign,
Here are 4 of the states that voted to increase protections to access abortion, as well as the blue states that confirmed protection.
1. Arizona
Arizona first voted for Trump in 2016, then President Joe Biden in 2020. At the time of publication, Arizona has 76% of votes counted with a lean towards Trump. In April 2024, the Arizona Supreme Court ruled to enforce a
2. Missouri
In a close race, 52% of
Just hours after the ballot was passed, Missouri’s Planned Parenthood affiliates
Missouri’s existing ban is
Missouri voted for Trump during all 3 of his candidacies, and some worry that GOP lawmakers may attempt to undo this ballot vote next year. However, exact details are unclear of what a new proposition may look like, and whether it would aim to restore another complete ban or a 15-week one.
3. Montana
Amendment 128
This vote also prevents the government from “denying or burdening access to an abortion when a treating healthcare professional determines it is medically indicated to protect the pregnant patient’s life or health.”
4. Nevada's Measure Must Pass on the 2026 General Election Ballot
While 64% of
Nevada has leaned blue in recent elections up until this year, and the state’s abortion policies are a mix of protections and restrictions. Passed in 2022, Nevada’s Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) has been used to challenge abortion restrictions, and in September 2024, a state court ruled that banning Medicaid coverage for abortion violated the ERA. In 2023, Nevada had approximately 16,000 clinician-provided abortions, marking a 45% increase from 2020. This was largely due to an influx of patients from states like Arizona, Texas, and Utah who sought out-of-state care after the Dobbs decision; the share of out-of-state patients rose from 5% in 2020 to 16% in 2023.
In the meantime, abortion remains legal in Nevada up to 24 weeks of pregnancy and in later cases if the physician believes the pregnant person’s life or health is at risk.
5. Blue state confirmations
New York, Maryland, and Colorado all confirmed state-level protections for accessing abortion. In all 3 states, abortion was already broadly legal. Colorado repealed a law that prohibited the use of public funds to pay for abortions. Colorado's measure passed with 62% of the vote. New York's measure, granting equal rights including protection from pregnancy discrimination, passed with 62%, as well. Maryland's measure protecting the right to reproductive freedom passed with 74% of the vote.
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