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A proposed constitutional amendment to protect the right to an abortion has qualified for Nevada’s November ballot, Secretary of State Cisco Aguilar announced Friday.
The Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom petition has 127,865 verified signatures, Aguilar said – more than the 102,362 required by state law.
The petition would guarantee the right to abortion until the time of viability, or the age when a fetus is likely to survive outside the womb. Abortions after that time could be performed to protect the life or health of the pregnant individual.
The right to an abortion is already codified in state law, which offers protections similar to those provided by Roe v Wade, the court decision that guaranteed abortion rights to Americans for almost 50 years until the Supreme Court struck it down two years ago.
“Ongoing attacks on abortion rights and reproductive health care – including IVF and contraception – nationally and in states across the country underscores the urgency of passing permanent state constitutional protections to keep politicians out of Nevadans’ personal medical decisions,” Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom said in a news release Friday afternoon.
Amending the state constitution would provide greater protection for abortion rights in Nevada, say supporters of the measure, which must be approved by voters in 2024 and again in 2026 to become a constitutional amendment.
“The support this initiative has received from Nevadans throughout the signature collection process shows what we’ve known to be true: Nevadans believe that healthcare decisions about abortion are best left to women, their doctors, and those they love and trust – not politicians,” said Lindsay Harmon, president of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom.
The PAC is expected to get help from national abortion rights organizations in promoting the measure.
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