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US, five states approve referendums to defend the right to abortion

As they elected the new House of Representatives, one-third of the senators and 36 out of 50 governors, the citizens of Vermont, California, Montana, Michigan and Kentucky they also voted on abortion. After the Supreme Court overturned the “Roe vs Wade” ruling, which protected the right to abortion, an almost total ban on abortion was enacted in a dozen states.

In Vermont, the so-called «Proposal 5», the question that protects the right to terminate pregnancy, was approved with 77% of the votes. In Vermont abortion has already been recognized as a right by law since 2019, and thanks to this vote the local congress will not be able to intervene on the issue.

In California Proposition 1, an amendment to the state constitution that protects “reproductive freedom”, recognizes the right to abortion and the use of contraceptives, will probably be approved. So far, out of over 37% of the votes polled, the yes reaches 65.9%. “Governor Newsom has made it clear that he wants that California is seen as a haven for people seeking reproductive health care and “Proposition 1” is part of it, ”said constitutional law professor Cary Franklin. “It will attract media attention and people will be more aware that California is a place they can go.”

In the Kentucky vote on constitutional amendment number 2. If the “yes” were to win, an article would be inserted in the state constitution that denies the existence of the right to abortion. But the “no” has the advantage, with 52.6% of the votes scrutinized.

Also in Michigan the “yeses” are winning (up to 55.8% so far) to “Proposal 4”, which would introduce the constitutional right to “reproductive freedom”, including abortion and contraceptives. Here the Democratic governor Gretchen Whitmer got a new mandate focusing her electoral campaign on the right to abortion. “We live in an era like no other,” explained Nicole Wells Stallworth, executive director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan. “The US Supreme Court has done something that has never been done before: overturn Roe vs Wade. They tried. And, at this point, we needed a campaign like no other. This campaign turned out to be just that ».

Pure in Montanacitizens are protecting the right to abortion: so far the “no” in the referendum are ahead with 53.2% of the votes.

According to analysts, support for reproductive rights attracts even more women and young people to the polls, and this could favor the democrats. These victories deal hard blows to Republicans, who increasingly find that, when called to vote, Americans often disagree with a radical dismantling of the right to abortion.

Other stories of Vanity Fair that might interest you:

Poland, the consequences of the abortion ban. The death of Izabela

The right to abortion in the United States. Entrepreneur Diane Derzis: “We are building new clinics”

Source: Vanity Fair

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