Last update:06 November 2024, 08:57 IST

Florida voters have rejected a measure to overturn the state’s abortion ban, marking a setback for choice advocates.

Competing signs for and against Amendment 3, a measure that would establish a constitutional right to abortion, dot neighborhoods in Kansas City, Missouri, October 11, 2024. (Reuters)

Florida residents on Tuesday rejected a measure that would have reversed a ban on abortion after six weeks and allowed the procedure until fetal viability, in a blow to rights advocates.

The ballot initiative needed at least 60 percent of the votes cast to pass, a tall hurdle to clear in the conservative southeastern state. This defeat, reported by the American media, marks the failure of the first vote in favor of the right to abortion since the Supreme Court of the United States in 2022 overturned Roe v Wade, the ruling which had given women a federal procedural law.

The NBC news network reported that the measure, known as Amendment 4, received 57 percent of the vote, a failure of three percentage points. Anti-abortion activists hailed the vote’s outcome as a major triumph.

“Today’s victory in Florida is unprecedented and should be seen as the start of a revolution for women’s health care in America,” said Christina Francis of the American Association of Professional Obstetricians-Gynecologists. life in a press release.

Advocates hoped that Florida, which is surrounded by states with strict restrictions, could have once again become a destination for those seeking the procedure in the southeastern United States.

Abortion rights supporters say many women still don’t know they are pregnant at six weeks. Prolongation to fetal viability would have allowed the procedure up to approximately 24 weeks.

“As the majority of Florida voters made clear tonight, they want their reproductive freedom back,” Nancy Northup, president of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement.

“Because of the high threshold of 60 percent and the state’s disinformation campaign, they must continue to live with the fear, uncertainty and denial of care caused by the reversal of Roe,” he said. -she added.

Florida was one of ten states to hold referendums on abortion on Tuesday, almost all of which were aimed at safeguarding the right to the procedure or overturning restrictions adopted since the Supreme Court ruling.

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – AFP)

Location :

Washington DC, United States of America (USA)