Arizona, Missouri to Vote on Abortion Rights in November
Facts
- Election officials in Arizona and Missouri have announced that ballot measures on enshrining abortion rights in their respective state constitutions received enough signatures to appear on ballots this fall. Seven states have abortion rights measures on the ballot this November.[1]
- In Missouri, which currently only allows abortion for limited medical reasons, the ballot initiative would repeal current abortion law and establish a 'right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives.'[2][3]
- Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft has confirmed that the measure received signatures from at least 170K residents in six of the state's eight congressional seats. Missouri's current abortion law came into effect after the Supreme Court repealed Roe v. Wade.[4]
- In Arizona, the ballot measure would carve out a 'fundamental right' to abortion access until the 24th week of pregnancy, with medical exemptions. The Arizona initiative received over 577K signatures, making it the largest ballot measure drive in the state's history.[5]
- After Roe v. Wade was overturned by SCOTUS in 2022, Arizona's Supreme Court ruled that an 1864 abortion law banning most abortions was still in effect before it was repealed. Arizona currently allows abortion until the 15th week of pregnancy, with some exceptions.[2][5]
- A CBS poll from May found that 65% of Arizona voters were in favor of the pro-abortion rights measure, while a St. Louis University poll of Missourians from February reported that 44% were in support of the provision.[6]
Sources: [1]Associated Press, [2]CNN, [3]The Hill, [4]CBS, [5]BBC News and [6]New York Times.
Narratives
- Democratic narrative, as provided by The Arizona Republic. Anti-choice conservatives are in for a rude awakening come November, as just about every pro-abortion ballot measure has passed on the state level. Americans don't want the government to dictate their reproductive choices and have overwhelmingly spurned the GOP's restrictive proposals. The repeal of Roe has turned into a political goal for the Republicans, and the backlash has only just begun.
- Republican narrative, as provided by Newsweek. For the sake of playing politics, the pro-abortion left has obfuscated what abortion restrictions mean for women and is putting radically lenient proposals on the ballot. No state lacks an exception for the life of the mother concerning abortion, and misinformed doctors have even spread that myth to desperate women. We don't need abortion on demand; we need to keep women and children safe.