In a post-Roe environment, this is not good news for Republicans. Abortion will be on the ballot in the swing states of Arizona and Montana, where Democratic Sen. Jon Tester will need all the help he can get to win a close race.
The Arizona Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected a challenge by anti-abortion activists to the Arizona Abortion Access Act, aka Proposition 139. It has collected “a record-breaking number of signatures to qualify for the November ballot, and just under 578,000 were confirmed legal last week – exceeds the requirements of 383,923 for a proposal to amend the Arizona Constitution.
Anti-abortion activists (who falsely refer to themselves as “Right to Life” if this does not apply to the life of women or girls) say that voters have not been told that this will repeal existing abortion laws, including the current 15-week gestation. ban, as if that wasn’t the point, but the judge ruled the Act was “perfectly accurate.”
Indeed, if this passes, it sets anti-abortion activists back. “The law guarantees access to abortion up to the point of fetal life, which is generally considered to be around 24 weeks, and includes exceptions beyond that period if health providers consider the procedure necessary to preserve the woman’s life, physical. or mental health. It also prohibits the law state laws to deny, interfere with or restrict women’s right to abortion, unless the state has a strong interest in doing so, which is based on evidence-based decision-making and does not violate the autonomy of women.”
In other words, abortion is health care and health care is best decided by professionals and individuals.
In Montana, abortion will also be on the ballot in November. The Secretary of State’s office said on Tuesday that the problem will be on the ballot. Montana voters will have the opportunity to enshrine their right to medical freedom in the state constitution.
“Montana’s move seeks to uphold the 1999 Montana Supreme Court decision that declared the constitutional right to privacy protects the right to pre-viability abortion by the patient’s choice provider because Republican lawmakers have tried to overturn the decision. , especially after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in the year 2022 and leave the issue of abortion up to the states,” AP reported on Tuesday afternoon.
The abortion measure could help boost Democratic Senator Jon Tester, who was polling behind Republican opponent Tim Sheehy until the latest week of polling.
This makes eight states where abortion will be on the ballot in November. In addition, the AP noted that Nebraska has a pending measure and New York has a “safeguard” measure that prohibits discrimination in reproductive health care on the ballot, but does not mention abortion.
So far, every time the issue of medical freedom has been brought to the voters, they have won — including in red states like Ohio and Kentucky. Many workers not only get signatures for these measures, but then fight in court against anti-abortion activists who seek to override the will of the voters and impose their own beliefs on the public at every turn.
Medical freedom is an individual human right, and other people’s religious beliefs have no bearing on how your doctor can treat you regardless of what health problem you have.
Abortion will now be on the ballot in Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, Nevada, Colorado, Missouri, Maryland and Florida.