Organizers in Arizona and Nebraska have successfully gathered more signatures than required to place abortion rights measures on the ballot for the upcoming November election. In Nebraska, there may potentially be two conflicting questions presented to voters. One question seeks to add a right to abortion to the state constitution, similar to the proposal in Arizona. The other question aims to solidify Nebraska’s current ban on most abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy. Election officials in both states will now need to confirm the signatures before the measures are officially added to the ballots.
The issue of abortion rights has become a focal point for Democrats, especially following the overturning of Roe v. Wade by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2022. This year’s elections have seen a heightened focus on this topic, with activists in Arkansas striving to meet the impending deadline to have the issue included on the state’s ballot. Apart from Arizona and Nebraska, five other states – Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, and South Dakota – are all set to have abortion-related measures put before voters this year. Additionally, New York also has a proposed measure designed to safeguard abortion access.
In Arizona, organizers have submitted 823,685 signatures, well surpassing the required 383,923 signatures from registered voters. The proposed amendment in Arizona seeks to allow abortions until a fetus could survive outside the womb, typically around 24 weeks, with certain exceptions. This amendment aims to prevent the state from implementing laws that would hinder access to abortion. Opponents argue that the proposal goes too far and could lead to unregulated abortions, while supporters believe a constitutional amendment is crucial to protect abortion rights from being easily revoked.
In Nebraska, two groups have turned in significant numbers of signatures for abortion-related measures. Protect Our Rights and SBA Pro-Life America each submitted over 200,000 signatures. Both groups are aiming to have their respective measures added to the ballot. On the other hand, a third measure that would ban abortion at all stages of pregnancy by classifying embryos as people appears unlikely to make it to the ballot as organizers have not met the signature requirements.
In Arkansas, supporters of a proposed constitutional amendment to modify the state’s abortion ban have until Friday to submit the necessary signatures for the measure to be considered in the November election. The amendment would prohibit the state from banning abortion within the first 18 weeks of pregnancy, with exceptions in cases of rape, incest, fatal fetal anomalies, and to protect the mother’s life. Arkansas’ current ban only allows abortions to protect the woman’s life in a medical emergency.
This news has been updated to accurately reflect the timeline of events surrounding the Arizona Supreme Court’s decision upholding the 1864 abortion ban.
