Florida voters reject abortion rights ballot measure

WASHINGTON (AP) — Florida voters on Tuesday rejected the creation of a constitutional right to abortion, a political victory for Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who maintains the state's ban on most abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy.

It's the first voting victory for abortion opponents in a state since the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v ruling in 2022, setting off new political and legal battles across the country.

Meanwhile, Maryland on Tuesday became the first state to pass an abortion law amendment, a change in the law that will have no immediate impact on abortion access in a state that already allows it.

A New York equal rights law also passed that the abortion rights group says will strengthen abortion rights. It does not contain the word “abortion” but rather prohibits discrimination based on “pregnancy outcomes and reproductive health care and autonomy.”

The Florida measure failed to reach the required approval threshold of 60% of voters to pass constitutional amendments in Florida. In most states, a simple majority is required.

Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the national anti-abortion group SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement that the result was “a momentous victory for life in Florida and for our entire country” and praised DeSantis for leading the charges against led the measure.

DeSantisa Republican with a national profile, has taken the lead state GOP funds to the cause. His government has also launched a campaign against the measure. Interview investigators People who have signed petitions to put them on the ballot, and Threats against television stations that aired a commercial supporting it.

The defeat brings about lasting change in the Southern Abortion Landscape That started when the state's six-week ban went into effect in May. This removed Florida as an abortion destination for many women from neighboring states with stricter bans and also resulted in many more women traveling out of the state to obtain an abortion. The closest states with looser restrictions are North Carolina and Virginia – hundreds of miles away.

“The reality is that because of the Florida Constitution, a minority of Florida voters have decided that Amendment 4 will not pass,” said Lauren Brenzel, campaign manager for the Yes on 4 campaign. “The reality is that a majority of Floridians just voted to repeal Florida’s abortion ban.”

Florida is one of them nine states with questions about abortion in Tuesday's election.

The result in Florida ends a winning streak for abortion rights advocates

See you Tuesday, abortion rights advocates had prevailed on all seven measures that have appeared on statewide ballots since Roe was overturned.

The abortion rights campaigns are very important Fundraising benefit this year. Their opponents' efforts are focused on portraying the amendments as too extreme, rather than portraying abortion as immoral.

Currently, 13 states enforce bans at all stages of pregnancy, with some exceptions. In most cases, four more bar abortions occur after about the sixth week of pregnancy – often before women even realize they are pregnant. Despite the bans, it is Number of monthly abortions In the United States, the number has increased slightly, reflecting increasing use of abortion pills and organized efforts to help women travel for abortions. Still, advocates say the bans are effective restricted accessparticularly for low-income and minority people in states with bans.

The issue resonates with voters. About a quarter said abortion policy was the most important factor in their vote, according to AP VoteCast, a comprehensive survey of more than 110,000 voters across the country. Almost half said it was an important factor, but not the most important. Just over 1 in 10 said it was a minor factor.

The results of ballot initiatives aimed at overturning strict abortion bans in Florida and Missouri were very important to the majority of voters in the states. More than half of Florida voters thought the outcome of the change was very important, while about six in 10 voters in Missouri said the same, the poll found.

The bans are also part of a central argument in the presidential election campaign. Vice President Kamala Harris calls them “Trump abortion bans” and points to former President Donald Trump’s role in overturning Roe v. Wade. Harris, meanwhile, has portrayed herself as a direct and consistent advocate for reproductive health and rights, including Black maternal health.

Trump has struggled to bridge a divide between his own anti-abortion base and the US majority of Americans who support abortion rights, relying on his blanket answer that abortion rights should be left to individual states.

Be Change postures To reproductive rights This includes the vow in October Veto a national abortion banjust weeks after the presidential debate, when he repeatedly rejected to say. Trump has also regularly taken credit for the appointments of three Supreme Court justices who helped overturn Roe v. Wade.

After Tuesday's vote in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump was asked He voted there twice on the abortion measure – and didn't respond directly. The first time, he said he “did a great job bringing it back to the States.” The second time, he snapped at a reporter and said, “You should stop talking about this.”

The measures could reverse bans in five states

While the voting questions have similar goals, each question addresses its own political circumstances.

Nebraska has competing ballot measures. An abortion would also be permitted later in the pregnancy. The other would enshrine the state's current law, which bans most abortions after 12 weeks, in the constitution – but allow further restrictions.

In South Dakota, the measure would allow some regulations regarding women's health after 12 weeks. Because of this wrinkle, most national abortion rights groups do not support it.

In some states, particularly Missouri, The adoption of amendments may not be extended access immediately. Courts would be asked to lift the bans; and there could be legal disputes about this. Clinics would have to increase staff and obtain licenses. And some restrictions may remain in effect.

Arizona, a presidential election site, bans abortions after the first 15 weeks of pregnancy.

The ballot measure there gained momentum after a state Supreme Court ruling in April found that the state could enforce a strict 1864 ban on abortion. Some Republican lawmakers joined Democrats repeal the law before it could be enforced.

The measures would anchor current access laws elsewhere

As in Maryland, the ballot measure in Democratic-controlled Colorado would largely integrate existing policies into the state constitution. Colorado's version could also remove financial barriers to abortion. To get through it would require 55% of the vote.

Measures to maintain voting access are also on the horizon in Montana, where a race for U.S. Senate could help determine control of the chamber, and in Nevada, a battleground in the presidential election.

In Nevada, where control of state government is divided, the ballot measure would need to pass this year and again in 2026 to take effect.

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Associated Press reporters Hannah Fingerhut and Amanda Seitz contributed to this article.