The Nevada Supreme Court ruled that the language in a petition for a ballot question to enshrine “reproductive rights” in the state constitution meets legal requirements for a statewide ballot initiative.
The petition, first filed in September 2023 by Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom PAC, a coalition of abortion rights organizations, was challenged by the Coalition for Parents and Children PAC based on the argument that “reproductive rights” (including contraception, vasectomies and infertility treatment) was too broad for a single ballot question.
In a statement, Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom called the state Supreme Court’s ruling a “major blow to extreme anti-abortion activists who have sought to keep Nevadans from being able to vote on the future of abortion access in the state.”
However, the PAC has already turned its attention to a narrower petition for a ballot question to enshrine “abortion rights” in the state constitution, having already gathered 160,000 signatures.
“Protecting these rights is essential to ensuring that all Nevadans maintain full control over their own lives, especially as we continue to see attacks on abortion, IVF, birth control and other reproductive health services,” reads a statement from Lindsey Harmon, president of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom. “While we have decided to pursue a petition focused on protecting abortion rights specifically, we will continue to pursue every possible avenue to make sure that all vital reproductive health services are protected in our state’s laws.”
The coalition intends to submit the petition to the secretary of state in time for the November ballot.
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