Abortion Rights Divide: Why Florida Fell Short While New York and Missouri Made History

In the referendum to legalize abortion rights held along with the U.S. presidential election on the 5th (local time), the states of Florida, Missouri, New York, Maryland, and Colorado were divided.

The state of Florida maintained its ban on abortion after six weeks, and states such as New York added the right to abortion to their state constitutions.

According to the New York Times (NYT), in Florida, a referendum to enshrine the right to abortion in the state constitution was rejected.

To pass a referendum, 60% approval is required, but the vote count on this day showed only 57% approval.

Florida previously allowed abortions up to 24 weeks, but Republican Governor Ron DeSantis and Republican lawmakers legislated a ban on abortions after 15 weeks in 2022 and after 6 weeks last year.

The NYT analyzed that Florida’s failure to legislate abortion rights was, on the one hand, expected.

This is because Governor DeSantis mobilized significant funds to defeat the abortion rights legislation, and among regions where referendums on abortion rights were previously held, the maximum approval rating in Republican-dominated regions was only 59%.

Florida’s passing threshold is 60%, which is higher than the previous highest approval rate.

According to this decision, Florida residents who want an abortion after six weeks of pregnancy will have no choice but to go to areas with less abortion restrictions, such as North Carolina and Virginia.

On the other hand, in Missouri, a referendum was passed to legislate abortion rights.

According to the Associated Press, Missouri currently bans abortion at any stage of pregnancy and allows abortion only in exceptional cases where the pregnant woman’s life is at risk.

Depending on the results of this referendum, the state legislature is expected to enact new laws defining when abortion can be performed.

New York voters also approved a constitutional amendment banning discrimination on the basis of gender identity and pregnancy.

The amendment would add language to the state constitution stating that a person cannot be denied citizenship because of national origin, age, disability, gender identity or pregnancy.

While other states have directly addressed how long abortion rights will remain legal, New York State has taken a roundabout approach by not using the word ‘abortion’ in the amendment itself.

In New York State, abortion is currently legal up to 24 weeks of pregnancy.

After that, abortion is only possible if there is a threat to the life or health of the pregnant woman or if medical staff determines that the fetus is unlikely to survive.

New York Governor Cathy Hocal is a Democrat.

Referendums in Colorado and Maryland also passed the approval threshold.

In addition, the results of the remaining five states that voted on abortion rights today, including Arizona, Montana, South Dakota, Nebraska, and Nevada, have not yet been released.

As the U.S. Supreme Court annulled the Roe v. Wade decision that recognized the right to abortion at the federal level in 2022, each U.S. state has been in conflict over whether to recognize the right to abortion.

In Republican-dominated states, a series of bills not recognizing the right to abortion were passed, while other states launched an abortion rights campaign and took steps to guarantee the right to abortion in their state constitutions.

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