Many agree that getting abortion rights on the ballot is good for protecting our bodies and our rights. Most also agree that it’s a great issue for Democrats.
This diary isn’t especially original, but as we say (often) in the GNR, repetition is good! Besides, this will be updated as new information comes in. And we’ll try to get out explicit information about where to sign.
As we’re waiting for election season to get going, this is what you can do. If you live in the state being featured, make sure you sign. If you don’t, but know people in the state being featured, try to get them to sign.
This diary is dedicated to Nevada, which just had language approved to get it on the 2024 ballot, as long as signatures are collected. If the Washington Post article is still accurate, they have until June 26 to collect signatures.
Note that abortion is currently legal in Nevada, but this will give it another layer of protection.
Who is doing this? Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, which is a PAC.
The website includes a place to donate and a way to volunteer.
They don’t yet have a way to just sign a petition, but I expect that it should be possible to contact local Planned Parenthoods and Democratic headquarters to find a petition.
Here’s some news: A Nevada judge just approved a petition to get a constitutional amendment protecting abortion rights. VOA, Associated Press
RENO, NEVADA — A Nevada judge has approved a petition by abortion access advocates as eligible for signature gathering in their long-standing attempt to get abortion rights on the 2024 ballot.
Carson City District Judge James T. Russell made the ruling Tuesday, about two months after he struck down a similar yet broader version that, if passed, would have enshrined additional reproductive rights into the state's constitution.
If the Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom political action committee gets enough signatures, a question would appear on the November ballot that would enshrine abortion access for up to 24 weeks, or as needed to protect the health of the pregnant patient, into the Nevada Constitution. Then, voters would need to approve it again on the 2026 ballot to amend the constitution. ✂️
Abortion rights up to 24 weeks are already codified into Nevada law through a 1990 referendum vote, where two-thirds of voters were in favor. That can be changed with another referendum vote.
Here’s some more background:
12 states where the fate of abortion rights could be on the ballot in 2024 Amy B Wang, Leigh Ann Caldwell, Washington Post, published Dec 20, 2023 (I tried to make this a gift article). Here’s some of what they write about Nevada:
Current law: Nevada state law allows abortion up to 24 weeks of pregnancy and after 24 weeks when a doctor has “reasonable cause” to believe it is “necessary to preserve the life or health of the pregnant person.”
The initiative: A coalition of abortion rights advocates called Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom filed paperwork for a proposed ballot initiative that would amend the state constitution to include abortion before “fetal viability” as a fundamental right. The ballot measure, if passed, would be “an added layer of protection” for reproductive rights in the state, said Caroline Mello Roberson, director of state campaigns for Reproductive Freedom for All.
State of play: The campaign is collecting signatures and must submit 102,362 by June 26. A district court judge last month struck down the group’s petition, saying it covered more than a single subject, but abortion rights advocates are hopeful the state’s all-female Supreme Court will rule in their favor on appeal.
Nevada requires two consecutive votes of the people to amend the state constitution through a citizen-initiated ballot measure — meaning that, if the ballot measure passes with a simple majority in 2024, the question will return to the ballot in 2026. If it passes again then with a simple majority, the state constitution will be amended.
Do you have more to add? Please do so in the comments and I will update the diary.
Thanks! Let’s make a difference in 2024!
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