Widespread support for abortion rights continued to defy partisan labels in Tuesday’s election, but several of the ballot measures that voters approved may face legal and legislative challenges in the coming months. And supporters worry that federal efforts could eventually override the state measures.
Voters in seven states — including deep-red Missouri and Montana — chose to protect or expand access to abortion through ballot initiatives.
“This won’t be the last time Missourians vote on so-called ‘reproductive rights,’” Missouri Republican state Sen. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, who opposed the ballot measure, wrote in a press release. “I will do everything in my power to ensure that vote happens.”
In Missouri and Arizona, the ballot measures will expand abortion access beyond what state laws currently allow. Though those constitutional amendments are set to go into effect in the coming weeks, abortion is unlikely to become immediately accessible in those states because abortion-rights advocates will have to go to court to overturn existing laws.
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