Nevada abortion rights amendment one step closer to November ballot

The abortion rights amendment would make reproductive care part of Nevada’s constitution, making it harder to restrict access. 

The petition initiative to enshrine abortion protections into the Nevada constitution has gathered enough signatures to qualify for the November ballot after receiving over 110,000 signatures in support — more than half of the campaign’s total signature goal. 

Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, a political action committee, made the announcement earlier this week, adding that the campaign has been collecting signatures from across the state and “from reproductive rights supporters across the political spectrum.” 

The petition “seeks to build upon and improve existing statutory protections” and if passed by voters, it would amend the state constitution to include the right to an abortion until fetal viability, which is usually around 23 to 24 weeks. 

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The proposed language of the amendment also says the state “may not penalize, prosecute, or take adverse action against any individual based on the outcome of a pregnancy of the individual, or against any licensed health care provider who acts consistent with the applicable scope and practice of providing reproductive health care services to an individual who has granted their voluntary consent.”

In 1990, Nevadans voted to codify abortion up to 24 weeks but that can be changed with another referendum vote. Amending the state’s constitution would make it more difficult to undo these protections. 

“We are overwhelmed by Nevadans’ enthusiasm for protecting our reproductive rights and by the eagerness that voters across the political spectrum have shown for our petition,” Lindsey Harmon, president of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, said in the announcement. “It’s a true testament to the fact that Nevadans recognize the importance in codifying reproductive freedom into our state constitution.”