It was one of the bets on the electoral ballot, in a country where the right to abortion is threatened. This Tuesday, in the context of the mid-term elections in the United States, several American states voted in favor of the protection of the right to abortion, a few months after its revocation by the Supreme Court opened to each state the possibility of ban it.
Thus, according to CNN, California voted 65% in favor of an amendment to the state constitution that ensures that “the state will not deny or interfere with the reproductive freedom of any individual in their most intimate decisions, which includes their fundamental right to to choose”. abortion and their fundamental right to choose or refuse contraception. Until then, the California constitution only guaranteed the right to privacy.
Several California Democratic leaders, including Gov. Gavin Newsom, promised in a statement an amendment “so there is no question about abortion rights in this state.”
Notable advances
For its part, Michigan voted to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution. In detail, Ballot 3 amends the Michigan constitution to establish an “individual right to reproductive freedom, including the right to make and carry out all decisions related to pregnancy.”
Additionally, supporters of the amendment said it would block Michigan’s 1931 abortion law, which essentially bans all abortions except to save the life of the mother. This advancement also allows the State to prohibit the prosecution of a person for having an abortion or miscarriage.
Finally, voters in Vermont, the stronghold of Bernie Sanders, also voted in favor of an amendment to the state constitution to better protect abortion rights.
Source: BFM TV
