A citizen initiative referendum in favor of the right to abortion organized Tuesday in Florida in parallel with the presidential election did not collect enough votes to win, according to American media. This is the first failure of a direct vote on abortion in the United States since the Supreme Court struck down federal protection of the right to abortion in June 2022 and a blow for defenders of the right to voluntary termination of pregnancy (abortion).
For more than two years, the right to abortion had in fact always won at the polls, even in the conservative states of Kansas and Kentucky. In Florida, the third most populous state in the country and which voted on Tuesday for Republican Donald Trump in the presidential election, the amendment aimed to reinstate the possibility of carrying out an abortion until the fetus is viable (around 24 weeks of pregnancy). , instead of six weeks currently.
It had to receive 60% “yes” to be adopted, the highest threshold of the ten American states where referendums on the question were organized on Tuesday. But this threshold was not reached even though the measure was supported by a majority, according to the media.
Defenders of the measure hoped that Florida, surrounded by states that are very restrictive on the issue of abortion, could once again become a refuge for women in the southeast of the United States. “A majority of Florida voters made it clear tonight that they want their reproductive rights restored. But because of a high threshold of 60% and the state’s disinformation campaign, they must continue to live in fear, uncertainty and refusal of care” inherited from the Supreme Court decision in 2022 , reacted Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights.
After the historic decision of the Supreme Court in 2022, states have regained full freedom to legislate in this area. Around twenty of them have since implemented partial or total restrictions.
A referendum in favor of the right to abortion, organized in Arizona, garnered enough votes to win, according to American media. The amendment reinstates the possibility of carrying out an abortion until the fetus is viable (around 24 weeks of pregnancy) instead of the current 15 weeks. Arizona is a key state for the outcome of the presidential election, and Democrats hope that the referendum will have encouraged their voters to go to the polls and vote for their candidate Kamala Harris.
