Midterm voters approve codification of state abortion rights, vote down pro-life measures
by Karen Faulkner, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – In the first midterm elections since June’s US Supreme Court withdrawal of a federally protected right to abortion, not only did a number of states enshrine abortion rights into their constitutions Tuesday, but voters in Republican-led states voted against pro-life measures, the Christian Post (CP) reports.
Voters in California, Michigan, and Vermont approved the codification of abortion rights in their states, while voters in Kentucky and Montana voted down the codification of pro-life measures in theirs, CP reports.
In California, voters approved a ballot measure to amend the state’s Constitution to protect the right to abortion and to contraceptives.
According to unofficial results as of Wednesday, over 65% of voters approved the measure, while 35% rejected it, CP reports. Similarly, voters in Michigan approved a ballot measure that adds a “fundamental right to reproductive freedom” to the state’s Constitution. As of Wednesday, 56.7% of voters approved the measure, and 43.3% voted against it.
In Vermont, a substantial majority of voters approved an amendment to the state’s Constitution that would guarantee a “right” to “personal reproductive autonomy,” CP reports. As of Wednesday, 77.2% approved the measure, while 22.8% voted against it.
Meanwhile, in Kentucky, voters rejected a state constitutional amendment that would state to state there is no right to abortion or any requirement to fund abortion, CP reports. As of Wednesday, with 98% of the ballots tallied, 52.4% of voters had rejected the measure, while 47.6% voted in favor.
In Montana, voters rejected a measure that would state infants born alive at any stage of development after a botched abortion or induced labor are legal persons, CP reports. The measure would have required medical treatment to be given to born-alive infants, with a penalty of up to 20 years in prison for violating the law. As of Wednesday, 52.2% of voters rejected it, while 47.8% voted in favor.