Voters in Michigan, California and Vermont on Tuesday approved a ballot measure establishing reproductive freedom as a constitutional right, making these states the first in the United States to make an abortion ban permanently unenforceable since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
The passage of the proposition invalidates a 1931 state law in Michigan that prohibits abortion without exception in cases of rape or incest, reports U.S. broadcaster NBC. Thus, this measure prevents the right to abortion from being repealed.
Although a judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the law last August, while a state court declared it unconstitutional a month later. Despite these measures, abortion activists feared that the decision could be appealed in court.
Voters in California and Vermont, which have both passed referendums enshrining abortion rights in their state constitutions, have spoken along the same lines.
The measure adds language to the state constitution that says it «shall not deny or interfere with an individual’s reproductive freedom,» including the right to choose to have an abortion These rights are already covered by state law, however, having them reflected in the state constitution prevents lawmakers from backtracking.
