CITIZEN: Abortion on the ballot: key victories and setbacks

Results continue to show Dobbs was not the end of the pro-life fight but only the beginning of a larger battle.

Voters in ten states had abortion directly on their general election ballots this November. Those states were Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New York, Nevada, and South Dakota. While the language of those abortion initiatives varied by state, the goal in each case was the same: the enshrinement of the false “right” to murder the preborn up to the moment of birth in each state’s constitution. In Nebraska, pro-life organizations fought back and put a competing abortion ban on the ballot.

Voters in three of those states (Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota) defeated the efforts to legalize abortion in their state constitutions. As a result, the pro-life laws in each state will remain in effect. These results were the first pro-life victories in abortion votes since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade. The victory in Florida, which is the third largest state in the U.S., is especially important. If Florida had legalized abortion up until birth, it would have become one of the largest abortion destinations in the country. We are thankful for Governor Ron DeSantis’s effective leadership in defeating that amendment and for his strong advocacy in support of pro-life laws in Florida. In Nebraska, voters went a step further and put a ban on abortion after the first trimester (12 weeks) in the state constitution. These victories give the pro-life side momentum to fight against future attempts to legalize the murder of the preborn around the country.

Unfortunately, the other seven states voted in favor of their abortion initiatives. The most disappointing of these states is Missouri, which had a total ban on abortion up to this point. With their election results finalized, it will only be a matter of time before a lawsuit results in Missouri courts overturning that ban. These results show that those of us on the pro-life side have a long way to go to ensure that our culture and laws respect the right to life of every human being, regardless of age or size. Please continue to pray that our leaders and society will recognize the dignity of human life and encourage your church leaders to engage on this important issue. The church will be essential in ensuring that our culture moves in a pro-life direction.

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