Voters in Missouri, Nevada, and Virginia approved ballot measures supporting abortion access on Tuesday, underscoring the issue's continued salience across diverse states. These victories strengthen or preserve abortion protections for millions and add to a growing number of states where voters have backed abortion rights in referendums since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
However, the defeat of a citizen-led initiative in Idaho highlighted strategic disagreements within the abortion rights movement regarding the scope and ambition of proposed measures. The Idaho measure aimed to legalize abortion up to fetal viability and in medical emergencies, but it failed, partly due to a lack of broad support from national reproductive rights groups and opposition from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Despite the Idaho setback, the overall trend favors abortion access. Voters have now backed such measures in 14 states. The results suggest a significant portion of the electorate, while potentially holding personal reservations about abortion, opposes sweeping bans and favors protections similar to those under Roe v. Wade.
Anti-abortion leaders acknowledged setbacks, with one spokesperson calling for renewed education and grassroots efforts. In previous election cycles, such as the 2022 midterms, the anti-abortion movement experienced notable losses on ballot measures, which they termed a "wake-up call." For the current cycle, they reportedly increased spending and employed new tactics, including actions by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to campaign against a proposed measure to reverse the state's near-total abortion ban.
Ballot measures have become a crucial tool for abortion rights advocates. In states like Arizona and Colorado, victories on ballot initiatives have led to the striking down of existing bans and the expansion of abortion coverage. However, the strategy faces limitations in states where citizens cannot place constitutional amendments on the ballot, or where legislative action is the sole path to change.
State-Specific Results
Virginia: Voters approved Question 1, establishing a constitutional right to reproductive freedom. The amendment defines this as the ability to make decisions about prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, contraception, abortion care, miscarriage management, and fertility care. While the state can still regulate abortions in the third trimester, the new amendment eases physician approval requirements for such procedures, a change advocates say will aid those facing emergencies in rural areas.
Missouri: Amendment 3, which sought to repeal a previously established constitutional right to reproductive freedom and impose stricter limits on abortion, failed. This measure would have also prohibited gender transition surgeries and puberty-blocking drugs for minors, and severely restricted abortion access, allowing it only for specific cases like medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape, or incest, and with a strict 12-week gestational limit for rape or incest. Missouri had previously been the first state to ban abortion post-Roe, but voters overturned that ban in 2024.
Idaho: The citizen-led ballot initiative to challenge the state's strict abortion ban failed. National progressive groups reportedly declined to invest heavily in this measure, with some expressing concerns that the proposal did not go far enough to expand access. Between August 2022 and December 2024, Idaho saw a significant decrease in OB-GYNs, and a substantial number of residents traveled out of state or utilized telehealth services for abortions.
Nevada: Question 6 passed, establishing a constitutional right to abortion in the state. This measure sought to codify existing protections, which allow abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy, into the state constitution. This marks the second consecutive election where voters approved the measure, a requirement for citizen-initiated amendments in Nevada.