Nevada to vote on abortion referendum in November

An abortion rights referendum will be on the Nevada ballot in November.

“The support this initiative has received from Nevadans throughout the signature collection process shows what we’ve known to be true: Nevadans believe that healthcare decisions about abortion are best left to women, their doctors, and those they love and trust — not politicians,” Lindsey Harmon, the president of the Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, said in a statement .

The secretary of state’s office verified about 128,000 signatures from all 17 counties in Nevada from the Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom political action committee, which is behind the referendum. If approved, the referendum would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state up to the point of “fetal viability,” which is about 23 to 24 weeks into a pregnancy.

Abortion is legal up to 24 weeks in Nevada, but this measure would enshrine the right in the state’s constitution, making it harder for the right to be taken away down the road.

“At every turn, anti-abortion activists have attempted to prevent Nevadans from making their voices heard with pointless lawsuits and misinformation,” Harmon said.

“We can’t take anything for granted,” she said. “We know Nevada has always been overwhelmingly pro-choice, and there’s no reason it should not be in the Constitution.”

Opponents of the measure say the language is somewhat misleading as Nevada presently allows abortion up until 24 weeks.

“If the average Nevadan finds out what the law already is, what’s already legalized, they would not vote for it,” Krystal Minera-Alvis, the spokeswoman for Nevada Right to Life, said, adding that “as an organization, we stand firm on the fact that this amendment is unsafe and dangerous for women of all ages.”

Democrats are hoping abortion measures such as the one in Nevada and a similar measure in neighboring Arizona will give voters downballot enthusiasm to vote for their party's candidates. Amy Brown, the wife of Nevada Senate GOP candidate Sam Brown, revealed she had an abortion in 2008, and Sam Brown said he supports Nevada's current 24-week law, believing abortion is a states' rights issue.

So far, seven states have voted for more reproductive rights after the fall of Roe v. Wade . Voters in Kansas , Michigan , and Ohio protected abortion rights in their states, and voters in Kentucky blocked an amendment to their state’s constitution that would have denied any constitutional protections for an abortion.

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“Right now, we’re kind of 0 for 7,” Minera-Alvis said . “We’re not doing too great.”

Nevada law requires amendments to be approved in two elections, meaning the measure would need to be voted on again in 2026.