Abortion Rights Amendment Qualifies for November Ballot, Nevada SOS Announces • Nevada Current

A proposed constitutional amendment to protect abortion rights has been placed on the November ballot in Nevada, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar announced Friday.

The Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom petition has 127,865 verified signatures, Aguilar said, more than the 102,362 required by state law.

The petition aims to guarantee the right to abortion up to the age of viability, that is to say until the age when the fetus is likely to survive outside the uterus. Abortions after this time could be performed to protect the life or health of the pregnant woman.

The right to abortion is already codified in state law, which provides protections similar to those provided by Roe v Wade, the court decision that guaranteed Americans the right to abortion for nearly 50 years until ‘until the Supreme Court overturned it two years ago.

“The ongoing attacks on abortion rights and reproductive health care – including IVF and contraception – nationally and in states across the country underscore the urgency of enacting permanent constitutional protections at the state level to keep politicians out of Nevadans’ personal medical decisions,” Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom said in a press release Friday afternoon.

Amending the state constitution would provide better protection for abortion rights in Nevada, say supporters of the measure, which must be approved by voters in 2024 and again in 2026 to become a constitutional amendment.

“The support this initiative received from Nevadans throughout the signature collection process shows what we know to be true: Nevadans believe that health care decisions regarding abortion should be left to women, to their doctors and those they love and trust, not politicians,” said Lindsay Harmon, president of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom.

The PAC should benefit from the help of national abortion rights organizations to promote this measure. Abortion is expected to be a top issue for many voters in Nevada and across the country this election cycle.