Arizona and Missouri will join a growing group of states holding elections in November to codify abortion rights into state law.
On Monday, Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes confirmed that abortion rights advocates had collected 577,971 signatures in favor of the Arizona Abortion Access Act, a proposed amendment that would enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution. On Tuesday, Missouri approved a similar initiative that, if passed in November, would overturn the state’s blanket ban on abortion.
The two states join Nevada, Arkansas, Colorado, South Dakota, Florida and Maryland in putting abortion referendums before voters on Election Day.
Following the Supreme Court's cancellation of Roe v. Wade In 2022, State-level voting measures that seek to enshrine the right to reproductive choice have been hugely successful—and have driven Democratic turnout in the midterms and beyond. In California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, and Vermont, voters have affirmed their right to reproductive freedom.
“This is a huge win for Arizona voters who will now be able to vote yes to restore and protect the right to access abortion care, free from political interference, once and for all,” Cheryl Bruce, campaign director for the Arizona Coalition for Abortion Access, said Monday.
“The decision to have an abortion is a personal, private one that should be left to patients and their families. But here in Missouri, the government is making that decision for us by force,” said Margot Rephagen, vice president of external affairs for Planned Parenthood of St. Louis and Southwest Missouri, during a virtual press conference Tuesday. “This vote is our opportunity to vote for reproductive freedom, and this certification is one step closer to building meaningful abortion access for Missourians. This is an opportunity to put the power back in the hands of the people.”
“This moment is not an end point, it is a beginning,” added Dr. Selena Sandoval, associate medical director at Planned Parenthood of Great Plains. “We must continue to advocate for policies that protect access to health care and stand firm against those who seek to undermine it. We have much work ahead, but today is a day to celebrate a critical step forward.”
Tori Schafer, deputy director of policy and campaigns for the ACLU of Missouri, said the coalition is prepared to face any legal challenges to the measure. Given the overwhelming success of previous measures in other states, anti-abortion groups have challenged such initiatives. In Arizona, Republican lawmakers in the legislature have indicated they will approve an opposition ballot measure that would restrict reproductive rights in the state.
Voter referendums on reproductive freedom aren’t the only way the fight over abortion rights will impact the 2024 election. Republican conspiracy theorist and failed gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake is locked in a tight race with Rep. Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) for the Senate seat vacated by Sen. Kyrsten Sinema (I-Ariz.), and Gallego has made Lake’s support for hardline anti-abortion policies a staple of his campaign against her. Gallego welcomed news of the abortion initiative on Monday. “Yes,” he wrote on X. “One step closer to protecting abortion rights in Arizona.”
In Missouri, Republican Sen. Josh Hawley is seeking a second term in Congress. His 2024 Democratic opponent, Lucas Coons, has attacked him as an anti-abortion bigot who is out of touch with ordinary voters. Coons also celebrated news of the Missouri initiative.
“Democrats, Republicans and independents across our state have come together to take back control of their lives and bodies from control-obsessed politicians, thanks to the hard work of Missouri for Constitutional Freedom,” Koonce said in May after the referendum coalition announced it had secured the signatures needed to introduce the referendum. “See you in November, Josh Hawley.”
