Nevada officials have recently announced that a ballot question seeking to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution has met the necessary requirements to be presented before voters in November. County officials from across Nevada approved the required number of signatures from Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, the political action committee responsible for organizing the initiative, and the Nevada Secretary of State’s office certified these totals as per a memo sent to organizers on Friday.
Krystal Minera-Alvis, the spokesperson for Nevada Right to Life, stated that the proposed amendment is misleading and based on lies, with funding from out-of-state dark money. She emphasized that her organization believes the amendment to be unsafe and dangerous for women of all ages.
The pro-abortion coalition pushing the ballot measure comprises several left-wing organizations and Planned Parenthood affiliations. In May, the group announced it had submitted over 200,000 signatures from registered voters, surpassing the required 103,000 for the November ballot.
The proposed amendment seeks to expand the state constitution to include the “fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” encompassing prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, vasectomy, tubal ligation, abortion, and “abortion care.” The amendment permits state lawmakers to regulate abortions after fetal viability, typically around 22-24 weeks of pregnancy. However, it allows for abortions throughout pregnancy when, in the professional judgment of an attending provider of health care, the procedure is deemed medically necessary to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant individual.
If the proposed measure passes in November, it would need to be approved again in 2026 before being added to the constitution, as per Nevada law. In 1990, Nevada upheld a statute through a referendum vote that allowed abortions through 24 weeks of pregnancy. This law permits abortions throughout pregnancy when the life of the mother is in danger or for health reasons.
Following the fall of Roe v. Wade — the Supreme Court decision which, for 50 years, had established a constitutional right to abortion — pro-abortion activists in nearly a dozen other states are putting abortion amendments on the ballot in November.