Nevadans For Reproductive Freedom
For Immediate Release: April 18, 2024
Reno, NV — Today, the Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, concluding that petition language filed in September 2023 to enshrine the right to reproductive freedom into the state constitution meets Nevada’s legal requirements for a ballot measure. Specifically, the court ruled that the petition does not violate the state’s single-subject rule and the petition does not create an unfunded mandate on the state.
Today’s ruling is 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.
While legal proceedings have been underway, Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom have gathered more than 160,000 signatures in support of a second version of the initiative to codify abortion protections in the state constitution. The campaign intends to submit the second petition to the Nevada Secretary of State and is well ahead of schedule to qualify it for the 2024 ballot.
Lindsey Harmon, President of Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom, made the following statement:
“Today’s ruling is an unequivocal recognition of what we’ve always known to be true: The right to reproductive freedom includes all aspects of a person’s reproductive health care. 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. 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.”
Background on Abortion Protections in Nevada:
A 1990 voter referendum codified the protections for abortion as outlined by Roe v. Wade into state law. However, statutory protections do not mean the right is codified in the state constitution
The petition initiative to enshrine abortion rights into the Nevada constitution seeks to build upon and improve existing statutory protections while taking into account the changing abortion access national landscape after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in its decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in the summer of 2022.
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Nevadans For Reproductive Freedom is a campaign united to enshrine the right to abortion into the Nevada constitution. We are a coalition of progressive organizations and citizens who believe that in the wake of the overturning of Roe v. Wade in the summer of 2022, Nevadans must take the final step of cementing into the state’s constitution the right to abortion.