These states voted to protect abortion rights. Conservative lawmakers are not standing down

"After Missouri residents voted to repeal their state's near-total abortion ban and enshrine abortion rights into their state constitution, advocates quickly got to work. In a lawsuit filed the day after the 2024 election, abortion providers challenged not only the constitutionality of the state's ban, but also a slew of other restrictions that, they said, made their jobs so arduous as to be impossible. More than a year later, they are still in court."

"But abortion rights supporters are warning that the fights that have followed prove that such measures are not a panacea, given the obstacles that decision-makers can throw up. A ballot measure changes the constitution and it says that the voters want receptive rights and freedom to be protected, but the amendments don't make everything go away on their own, said Amy Myrick, senior counsel at the Center for Reproductive Rights, which is involved in several post-measure legal battles."

Missouri voters repealed a near-total abortion ban and enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution, prompting immediate legal challenges from providers. Providers sued to overturn the ban and numerous other restrictions they said made provision of care impossible; litigation continues more than a year later. Similar post-ballot legal battles are active in Arizona, Michigan, Montana, Nevada and Ohio, while some legislatures propose laws to undercut voter-approved protections. At least three states will consider pro-abortion-rights measures this November. Advocates note that constitutional amendments require courts and legislatures to act and that burdensome restrictions can persist despite voter approval.

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