Seven US states expand their rights as Florida vote fails

Seven states have approved measures to protect or expand abortion rights, but attempts to restore protection for the procedure failed in Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska.

The mixed results came as the Republican Party made big gains in election races across the US, helping Donald Trump to a decisive victory.

Voters in 10 states were asked to weigh in on questions about access to abortion in this election, the first major presidential contest since the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a national right to the procedure two years ago.

The state-level battles were an attempt by abortion rights activists to regain or maintain access to the practice after many states banned or imposed restrictions on abortions following the ruling.

Democrats had also hoped the issue would help sway voters to their side in this election, attributing anger over the issue to the party's ability to achieve a better-than-expected result in the 2022 midterm elections .

Vice President Kamala Harris addressed the issue throughout her campaign, appealing to women across party lines.

But that dynamic hasn't been consistent this year, with exit polls suggesting abortion ranks behind issues like the economy and democracy.

In Missouri, which strongly supported Donald Trump, abortion rights activists still won a major victory when voters approved an amendment that would repeal a near-total ban on abortion in the state.

In Arizona, another state Trump leads, more than 60% of voters supported an amendment protecting the right to abortion until it is feasible – about 24 weeks. The measure extends access from the current 15 weeks allowed under state rules.

But a similar proposal in Florida narrowly missed the 60% support threshold required for passage, receiving just 57% support.

The defeat leaves in place the strict law the state passed earlier this year that bans abortions after the sixth week of pregnancy with few exceptions.

The measure was strong Opposition from Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, who used government resources to persuade voters to vote “no.”

It also caused Trump political headaches, as he initially appeared to support the change but later did so said he would vote against it after resistance within his own party.

Betsy Linkhorst, a first-time voter in Florida, said the result in her state left her “heartbroken, scared and frankly worried about the future.”

“This was such an important opportunity to protect women's rights and our ability to make decisions about our own bodies,” the 18-year-old said.

Maria McNally, who voted against the amendment, said she believes it would have allowed abortions too far into pregnancy.

“I’m glad it failed,” she said.

Voters across the U.S. who faced questions about abortion on the ballot this year came from states with a wide range of different abortion laws.

The questions they were asked also varied, although most initiatives proposed establishing a state right to abortion until the fetus is viable – around 24 weeks of pregnancy.

In previous election cycles, campaigns to restore or protect abortion access using state-level ballot propositions had succeeded, including in reliably conservative states like Kansas.

But the results of this election largely reinforced the reality that women in the United States have very different access to abortion depending on where they live.

Voters in Nebraska and South Dakota rejected measures that would have expanded access, while voters in Maryland and Colorado, where abortion is currently legal, supported measures enshrining a right to the procedure in state constitutions.

In Colorado's case, the change will also expand access so that abortions can be covered by state health insurance.

In Montana and Nevada, where abortion is currently legal until it becomes approximately viable, voters approved measures to codify that right in the constitution.

In Nevada, a majority of voters must approve the measure again in two years for the change to take effect.

New York, where abortion is legal until profitable, has approved an amendment that would ban discrimination based on pregnancy or reproductive health.

In Nebraska, voters faced two dueling abortion initiatives. They rejected a rule that would have made abortion a right until feasible and approved the state's current laws that ban abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy with some exceptions, including incest, rape and saving the life of the mother.