The landmark ruling of the United States Supreme Court in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization two years ago has sparked an avalanche of attacks on reproductive health care that has been felt even in states like Nevada, where abortion rights are still protected at the state level.
On May 20, Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom submitted more than 200,000 signatures to qualify a proposed constitutional amendment on abortion rights for the November general election. The number of signatures, which were gathered over three months this year, far exceeds the 102,362 needed.
The group confirmed Monday that they are still waiting for signature verification and certification of their proposed ballot measure. The Nevada Secretary of State’s Office did not respond by press time to Current’s question about when that process is expected to be completed.
The right to abortion is currently protected in Nevada through a state law, which voters approved in a referendum in 1990. Changing that law, which mirrors protections that were upheld nationwide through Roe v Wade for nearly five decades, would require the direct vote of Nevadans.
However, writing the protection directly into the state constitution would offer a higher level of protection, advocates say, which is important in a post-Dobbs political climate.
Constitutional amendments proposed through an initiative petition must be approved by voters twice, meaning that if voters approve the measure later this year, they will have to approve it again in 2026 before it can take effect.
Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom on Monday released a letter of support for its ballot measure signed by more than 175 medical professionals in the state.
Dr. Philip Malinas, a Reno psychiatrist, was one of the providers who signed the letter supporting the proposed constitutional amendment. He shared that he had recently spoken to a woman who described the day he found out she was pregnant as “the happiest day of her life” and then had an abortion.
“She told me that if she had had to wait months to expel the fetal remains, or until she became so sick and close to death that she qualified for abortion services, she would have felt like committing suicide,” he said. “We’ve seen the harm these bans cause.”
Additional protections
According to an analysis released Monday by the Center for Democracy and Technology, Nevada is one of the 17 states which prohibits state agencies from assisting in out-of-state investigations focused on activities like abortion that are legal within the state. After the fall of Roe v. Wade, states like Idaho, Texas and Alabama, with strict abortion bans, passed laws targeting patients seeking abortion services in states where it is still legal, as well as people helping those seeking abortion services outside their borders. . state abortions.
In Nevada, those protections were originally implemented in early 2022 through an executive order issued by Democratic Gov. Steve Sisolak. They were enacted by the Nevada State Legislature and Republican Governor Joe Lombardo during the 2023 session.
Nevada last year also established a data privacy law prohibit the collection, use or sharing of health data without consumer consent and the use of geofencing within 1,750 feet of a health care facility. The law was inspired by concerns that states with harsh abortion laws could try to access data stored in people’s menstrual cycle or fitness apps.
Some states have adopted additional types of protective laws, notes the Center for Democracy and Technology.
Some states have prohibited private companies from disclosing protected health data even when they receive court orders and subpoenas. Some prohibited judges from issuing subpoenas to out-of-state agencies requesting information related to reproductive health care services.
Lawmakers have also passed laws to protect gender-affirming patients and care providers. Some states, including Texas, have passed laws to restrict access to gender-affirming care within their borders and allow license revocation for health care providers who provide such care.
Last year, Nevada Democrats passed a bill that would have prohibited health care licensing boards from disqualifying or disciplining a provider for offering gender-affirming care and would prohibit the governor from turning over a person accused of a criminal violation in another state for receiving gender affirming services in Nevada. Lombardo vetoed the bill.
State Sen. James Ohrenschall (D-Las Vegas), who sponsored the gender-affirming protection bill, has already promised to reintroduce the bill in the 2025 session.
An electoral question
Think Big America, a nonprofit organization established in 2022 by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to support and expand abortion rights nationwide, announced Monday that it would launch a six-figure digital ad buy highlighting the negative impacts of the severe abortion restrictions that have been implemented. after the fall of Roe. The ad will run on YouTube and connected television platforms in Nevada and other swing states.
The announcement is not Think Big America’s first foray into Nevada. The nonprofit has contributed more than $1 million to the Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom PAC in support of the proposed ballot initiative.
Nationally, the Center for Reproductive Rights, the National Women’s Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union and several other organizations announced Monday that they are committing at least $100 million to building “a federal strategy to long term to codify the right to abortion, including lobbying efforts. , grassroots organizing, public education, and comprehensive communication strategies to mobilize support and achieve change.”
“Anti-abortion lawmakers have already banned or severely restricted abortion in 21 states with devastating consequences, and they will not stop until they can impose a national ban on abortion and put care out of reach entirely, even in states that have protected abortion.” access to abortion. ,” they wrote.
A Pew Research Center poll conducted earlier this year shows that 63% of Americans support making abortion access legal in all or most cases, while 36% say it should be illegal in most or in all cases.
The poll shows that Democrats and Republicans have opinions in both directions: 41% of Republicans and 85% of Democrats say it should be legal in most or all cases, while 57% of Republicans and the 14% of Democrats say it should be illegal in most or all cases.
The issue, as well as Biden and Trump’s record on abortion, is likely to be a central part of the first presidential debate on Thursday, just three days after the second anniversary of the Dobbs ruling.
States Newsroom reporter Jennifer Shutt contributed to this report.
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