The abortion debate is headed to 2 more states' ballot boxes in November

Transcript

LEILA FADEL, HOST:

Two more states have put abortion rights on the ballot this fall.

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Missouri and Arizona voters will express their views. One is a conservative red state, the other a swing state. In all, eight states so far will have ballot measures on reproductive rights.

FADEL: NPR's Elissa Nadworny is here to fill us in. Hi, Elissa.

ELISSA NADWORNY, BYLINE: Good morning.

FADEL: Good morning. So tell us about the latest additions in Arizona and Missouri.

NADWORNY: Well, both states said organizers had collected enough signatures to ask voters whether they want to add protections for abortion into the state constitutions. So if the proposed amendments pass, both would legalize abortion up to what is generally recognized as the point of viability. That's around 24 weeks into a pregnancy.

FADEL: OK.

NADWORNY: In Missouri, nearly every abortion has been illegal since June 2022, with the exception of medical emergencies.

FADEL: And Arizona - just remind me what the current legal landscape is there.

NADWORNY: Current Arizona law bans abortion after 15 weeks and includes exceptions in cases of medical emergencies. Now, it's interesting. The secretary of state there on Monday verified more than half a million signatures, so that's far more than was needed. Here's Dawn Penich, spokesperson for Arizona for Abortion Access, the group behind the initiative.

DAWN PENICH: So this is very much, you know, a prime example of direct democracy. This is an issue that Arizona voters all over the state, from every political party want the chance to vote on directly.

NADWORNY: And here's Jill Norgaard, spokesperson for the group Arizona Right to Life, which opposes abortions.

JILL NORGAARD: Once again, people are misleading Arizonans by publicizing that their initiative is on the ballot.

NADWORNY: And, Leila, Norgaard's group is actually suing to keep the question off the ballot. It's one of two cases in front of the Arizona Supreme Court right now.

FADEL: OK, so on the ballot in Arizona for now, pending those cases. Are we waiting...

NADWORNY: Right.

FADEL: ...For decisions about ballot questions in other states?

NADWORNY: Yes, we're waiting on three states - Nebraska, Montana and Arkansas. There's been some drama in Arkansas. Last month, the secretary of state there threw out signatures because they were collected by paid gatherers, which put the number below the necessary threshold. It's now at the state Supreme Court to see if the group behind the initiative is allowed more time to get additional signatures.

And in Montana and Nebraska, the signatures are in, and now we're waiting for the secretaries of state to decide whether they're valid. And that could come in both places as early as next week.

FADEL: And, Elissa, where else will voters be deciding about abortion in November?

NADWORNY: So before this week, abortion had already been on the ballot in six other states - Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York and South Dakota. Let me tell you about two of them.

So Florida's ballot will ask voters if abortion should be protected in the state constitution up to the point of fetal viability. That's 24 weeks. There's currently a six-week ban there, which went into effect in May.

And then South Dakota is a little bit different from the others. The proposed amendment there would allow abortions in the first trimester, or about 12 weeks, add more restrictions in the second, and then prohibit abortions in the third trimester, with some exceptions. So some abortion rights groups say the proposed amendment is too weak, while anti-abortion groups say it's extreme.

FADEL: OK, and before you go, this isn't the first time voters have been asked about abortion at the voting box. What do we know from past elections?

NADWORNY: So since the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs, which eliminated federal protections, voters in six states have weighed in on constitutional amendments on abortion. Some amendments asked to add protections, like in Ohio. Others asked voters to restrict abortion, like in Kansas. And in all six of those states, Leila, voters chose access to abortion each time.

FADEL: That's Elissa Nadworny, who covers reproductive rights. Thank you, Elissa.

NADWORNY: You bet. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.