Students react to states’ abortion initiatives
Since the 2022 Supreme Court decision Dobbs v. Women’s Health Organization, abortion has become an issue largely legislated at the state level. This November, several states will hold referendums on different amendments to state constitutions related to abortion. The results will affect the future of abortion access for millions of people across the nation.
A total of 11 states are expected to hold votes to codify or restrict access to abortion in their state constitutions. These states are New York, Maryland, Missouri, South Dakota, Nebraska, Arkansas, Montana, Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and Florida.
In most of these states, only pro-abortion groups have proposed referendums, aiming to overturn existing state laws that protect the unborn. In some states, namely New York, Maryland, Colorado, and Nevada, the proposals aim to expand abortion where it is already legal. Nebraska is the only state in which both pro-life and pro-abortion groups have proposed competing amendments to change state laws.
Perhaps the highest-profile vote will take place in Florida, where abortion activists are seeking to overturn the state’s law banning abortion after six weeks. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed the law in 2023, which came into full effect after it was upheld by Florida’s State Supreme Court in May 2024. Within hours of the law’s passage, pro-abortion organizers began amassing the 890,000 signatures needed to propose an amendment enshrining abortion into the state’s constitution—and overturning the ban. The effort achieved enough signatures in January 2024, and was approved as Amendment Four for the state’s ballot in April 2024.
Florida’s abortion vote is distinct in that it requires a higher threshold—60 percent—for the amendment to pass and abortion to become constitutionally protected. For this reason, the vote has become especially competitive, with polls showing the amendment winning a majority but not reaching the level of support needed to pass.
National political figures on both sides have weighed in on the vote. President Joe Biden endorsed the pro-abortion side, arguing that the issue “isn’t about state’s rights, it’s about women’s rights.” On the other hand, former president Trump, a Florida resident, has stated that he will be voting “no” on the amendment.
“The Democrats are radical because nine months is just a ridiculous situation. You can do an abortion in the ninth month,” Trump said. “You know, some of the states, like Minnesota and other states, have it where you can actually execute the baby after birth, and all of that stuff is unacceptable. So I will be voting no for that reason.”
Some proposed state amendments, including in New York, have combined protecting access to abortion with other progressive priorities. The New York amendment would also enshrine gender identity as a protected class, thereby prohibiting laws that make distinctions on the basis of biological sex. Republican opponents of the proposal have stated that it “would allow transgender athletes to play on women’s sports teams,” among other concerns.
In Nebraska, the only state where both sides of the issue have proposed competing amendments, voters can decide between three frameworks for abortion access in the state. Pro-abortion advocates have proposed the “Right to Abortion Initiative,” which would enshrine access to abortion until fetal viability.
Some pro-life groups have proposed the “Nebraska Prohibit Abortions After the First Trimester Amendment,” which would ban abortion after three months. Others have promoted the stricter “Prohibit Abortion Procedures and Drugs Initiative,” which would ban all abortion in the state except to save the life of the mother.
In most of these states, including in some that Trump is projected to win in the presidential election, the pro-abortion amendments are widely expected to pass. In Missouri, for example, a SLS/YouGov poll showed Trump leading the state by 13 points and the pro-abortion amendment passing by 18 points.
If Missouri passes its abortion amendment, it would not be the first conservative state to vote in favor of access to abortion. In late 2023, Ohio voters approved a similar initiative by 13 percent, while Kansas and Kentucky both rejected amendments restricting abortion access in 2022.
Opinion on campus was divided about the referenda.
Notre Dame Right to Life President Jackie Nguyen emphasized the importance of voting against efforts to expand abortion. “Being a truly pro-life voter means prioritizing the most pressing life issue in protecting the unborn, who are most seriously immediately endangered,” she explained.
She continued, “In the same way that individual friendship, steadfast prayer, and seemingly trivial advocacy may not seem to bear fruit in the midst of the chaos, we, as pro-life voters, must remember that it is in these local, seemingly trivial elections that the Lord works to protect the sanctity of life.”
A Ryan Hall sophomore from Florida echoed the sentiments, telling the Rover she would vote against Amendment Four in her state.
“It’s just so sad to me that women in particular are manipulated into thinking abortion is their only choice, that the path to their dreams runs through their ability to kill their child. I don’t think that’s equality,” she said.
On the other hand, a junior in Morrissey Hall voiced support for protecting abortion in his home state of Arizona. “The Supreme Court, with no input from the people, declared abortion illegal statewide under a territorial law from the 19th century. That’s just ridiculous,” he said.
He continued, “I think women should have the right to make their own decisions about their own bodies. It’s just not my place as a man to tell them what to do,” he added.
The referenda will take place concurrently with the presidential and congressional elections on November 5, 2024.
Shri Thakur is a junior studying economics and constitutional studies. He can be reached at sthakur3@nd.edu.
Peter McKenna is a senior studying history. He can be reached at pmckenn2@nd.edu.
Photo Credit: Rolling Stone
Subscribe to the Irish Rover here.
Donate to the Irish Rover here.
