What voters should know about upcoming abortion ballot issues in Missouri, Idaho, Nevada, Virginia

Voters in four states will head to the polls this November to decide the future of pro-life laws. Idaho, Missouri, Nevada and Virginia all have abortion issues on the ballot, presenting contrasting paths forward for protecting the unborn.

Missouri aims to restore pro-life protections 

Missourians are considering a measure designed to restore pro-life protections and permanently restrict sex-change procedures for minors. Amendment 3 would effectively ban abortions except in cases of medical emergency, fetal anomaly, rape or incest.

The Catholic bishops of Missouri are requesting prayers for the success of Amendment 3.

“It is very important today we show mercy to each other as we open ourselves to conversations on these difficult issues. There are people, people close to us, who genuinely do not think of abortion like we do. But God chose for us to be in this life together,” said Bishop W. Shawn McKnight of Jefferson City, Missouri.

The battle over Missouri’s laws follows a 2024 constitutional amendment legalizing abortion up to fetal viability, which passed by a narrow 52% to 48% margin.

Idaho voters weigh Prop 1 

Idaho voters will consider Proposition 1, the so-called “Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act,” which aims to restore abortion on demand up to fetal viability. It would enshrine abortion into state law, including access to birth control and in vitro fertilization.

The measure qualified for the ballot after a group called Idahoans United for Women and Families gathered more than 110,000 signatures.

Right to Life of Idaho President Emily Naugle said her organization is “hopeful Idahoans will look under the surface of Prop. 1 and see the ugly reality must be rejected.”

“Prop. 1 is barbaric late-term abortion, a decimation of parental rights and an open door for transgender ideologies to be foisted upon taxpayers,” Naugle said.

Idaho Chooses Life CEO David Ripley noted the measure would invalidate virtually every pro-life law the Legislature has enacted over the last 30 to 40 years.

Nevada considers second vote on abortion amendment 

Abortion is already legal in Nevada through at least 24 weeks of pregnancy, but voters are considering an amendment to enshrine abortion into the state’s constitution.

Voters already approved the amendment in 2024 by a nearly 2-to-1 margin. However, the state constitution requires amendments to pass twice before taking effect.

Nevada Right to Life spokesperson Krystal Minera-Alvis said the amendment is “based on lies” and is funded by “out-of-state dark money.”

“As an organization, we stand firm on the fact that this amendment is unsafe and dangerous for women of all ages,” Minera-Alvis said in a statement to The Associated Press.

Virginia voters face abortion constitutional amendment

Virginia voters face a similar situation, considering a state constitutional amendment to enshrine abortion. Virginia currently allows abortion through at least 24 weeks of pregnancy, like Nevada.

Pro-life leaders in Virginia strongly oppose the measure. Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington and Bishop Barry Knestout of Richmond called the move “shocking to the conscience,” noting lawmakers quickly moved to pass the amendment.

“The extreme abortion amendment would go far beyond even what Roe v. Wade previously allowed,” Burbidge and Knestout said in a joint statement. “It would enshrine virtually unlimited abortion at any stage of pregnancy, with no age restriction.”

Abortion on the ballot since Roe v. Wade was overturned 

These upcoming ballot issues follow a historic wave of elections centered on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.

During the 2022 and 2023 elections, pro-abortion amendments passed in California, Michigan, Vermont and Ohio, while pro-life measures failed in Kansas, Kentucky and Montana.

In 2024, a record 11 abortion ballot measures received votes, resulting in Arizona, Colorado, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, New York and Nevada expanding abortion access.

Voters in Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota rejected similar amendments, with Nebraskans instead approving a measure to implement pro-life protections after the first trimester.

(Image credit: Adobe Stock/Stuart McMillian)