Abortion rights are on the ballot in 10 states, much to GOP's dismay
Abortion is on the ballot in 10 states for the 2024 general election. Since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022, every time abortion has appeared on a state ballot, abortion rights have prevailed. That’s why Republicans have been trying so hard to keep abortion off the ballot.
Generally, these ballot measures are attempts to enshrine protection for abortion rights into the state constitution, returning the right to the constitutional status it had before the fall of Roe.
Arizona
Currently, abortion is legal in Arizona up until 15 weeks but includes no exceptions for rape or incest for people seeking an abortion past the 15-week mark. Arizona’s Proposition 139 would enshrine abortion rights into the state constitution and protect access to abortion until fetal viability, usually around 24 weeks. To get on the ballot, organizers needed 383,923 signatures. They got 823,685—577,971 of which were certified by the Arizona secretary of state. Polls show strong support for the measure, which is why conservatives are trying to put their thumb on the scale.
Shortly after Arizona certified the ballot measure, the state Supreme Court sided with anti-abortion state legislators over language explaining the ballot question to voters. The pamphlet that will be sent to voters will use “unborn human being” to describe a fetus or embryo, which the state Supreme Court—with all seven justices having been appointed by Republican governors—said “substantially complies” with the statutory requirement that ballot measures be described impartially. There’s nothing impartial about the term “unborn human being.” It’s an anti-abortion dog whistle and swaps out scientifically defined terms like “fetus” for an amorphous phrase with no scientific meaning whatsoever. At least, “unborn human being” won’t appear on the ballot itself.
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2024/9/17/2270980/-Abortion-rights-are-on-the-ballot-in-10-states-much-to-GOP-s-dismay