WASHINGTON (OSV News) -- Florida voters Nov. 5 rejected an amendment to their state's constitution that would have codified abortion as a right, even as voters in other states voted Election Day to expand legal protections for abortion.
Florida is one of 10 states with ballot referenda in 2024 considering abortion either directly or indirectly. Unlike the other nine states, the Sunshine State requires such measures to reach a threshold of 60% to pass.
However, Amendment 4 failed to reach that threshold, as only 57% of Floridians voted to support it, with 97% of precincts reporting. It became the first ballot measure aimed at expanding abortion access to fail since the U.S. Supreme Court issued its ruling in Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization in June 2022.
That ruling reversed the high court's previous abortion precedent. Soon after, voters in Ohio, California, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Vermont and Kansas either rejected new limitations on abortion or expanded legal protections for it as the result of ballot measures.
But other states on Nov. 5, including Colorado and Missouri, did vote to codify abortion as a right in their state constitutions.
Voters approved a Maryland ballot measure that would add "reproductive freedom" -- which it defines as inclusive of abortion -- to that state's Declaration of Rights.
A measure in New York called the "Equal Rights Amendment," Proposal 1, also passed handily and will codify what it calls fair treatment for all people in the state's constitution. However, New York's Catholic bishops and other opponents argued the measure was aimed at protecting abortion among other objections, such as unforeseen consequences for parental rights.
In a statement, the Florida Conference of Catholic Bishops said it is "profoundly relieved at the defeat of Florida's pro-abortion Amendment 4. This is a positive outcome for Florida and all efforts to promote the flourishing of our state."
"Though Amendment 4 failed to reach the 60% threshold required to pass, a majority of Floridians voting in the general election supported it," the statement said. "While significant gains to protect women and preborn children in recent years will remain in place, abortion in Florida will continue at a very high rate under our current laws."
"Much work remains to open hearts and minds to the dignity and goodness of life in the womb and at every stage," it added. "We will continue to proclaim in our churches and in the public square the value of every human life and to highlight that there is a better way forward for women, families and society than abortion. Through our many ministries, we will continue to support, encourage and assist pregnant women and young families.
"For those who regret their abortion or abortions, or their cooperation in one, we reiterate that the Lord is eager to forgive, and the Church is ready to facilitate healing," the bishops' statement said.
Current Florida law prohibits most abortions after six weeks, with some exceptions, including scenarios where a woman's life is at risk.
The Catholic Church teaches that all human life is sacred from conception to natural death, and as such, opposes direct abortion. After the Dobbs decision, church officials in the U.S. have reiterated the church's concern for both mother and child and called to strengthen available support for those living in poverty or other causes that can push women toward having an abortion.
Abortion rates, which began steadily rising in 2017 after a nearly three-decade decline, have further increased in the aftermath of the Dobbs decision. According to the Guttmacher Institute, which tracks abortion data, abortions in 2023 were up 11% over 2020. The 2023 data represents the first full year after Dobbs created a "fractured abortion landscape" as states enact restrictions on, or protections of, abortion access.
As of the early hours of Nov. 6, ballot measures on abortion remain to be called in Arizona, Montana, Nevada, Nebraska and South Dakota.
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