Statement on Ballot Measure Results

Yesterday, Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota pushed back on extreme abortion amendments – guarding their ability to protect the unborn and their mothers. Amendment 4 was defeated in Florida, failing to gain the necessary 60% by 3% points; in Nebraska, pro-life Amendment 434 prevailed, passing by 11%, over pro-abortion Amendment 439, failing by 2.5%; and Amendment G was rebuffed in South Dakota by a margin of 20%. Using the amendment process, abortion activists attempted to enshrine abortion into state constitutions up until the date of birth using deceptively entitled “health” exceptions – terminology that has included emotional, relational, and financial health alongside physical health since the companion case to Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton.

Sadly, 7 of 10 states with abortion amendments on the ballot this year voted to categorically declare a class of human beings unworthy of protection. While there were minor nuances in approach, seven state constitutions were sadly amended to permit intentionally terminating human beings in the womb, making this practice an alleged fundamental right in these states. The primary impact of the new constitutional provisions and the goal of the unsuccessful ballot initiatives is to remove oversight, eliminate accountability, and to move the termination of life out from under the light of legal scrutiny. Women will now be left in the hands of abortionists without being given information on the consequences of the procedure to her or her child and will not be protected by standard health and safety measures. 

There is no denying that the pro-life movement is at an inflection point. In the wake of Dobbs, long-existing language promoting and supporting human life has been watered down in one party’s platform, and elected officials in the other party campaign for votes by visiting abortion clinics. Some may be tempted to view this as a such a significant change in public sentiment that pro-lifers should retreat to support other more politically tenable issues. Yet, pro-life values won on the state ballots, not just for the first time, but for the first three times. And the results in Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota give the pro-life movement a template for regaining those states that have lost ballot initiatives. 

We should remind ourselves that the pro-life movement is not a political movement, but a moral and human rights movement to protect the right to life of all human persons. We will move forward across the Nation to protect life in the state legislatures, in Congress, and in the courts, regardless of the outcome of state ballot initiatives that may present a temporary setback. The pro-life movement has faced setbacks before and overcome them – and we’ll do so again. This fight must be single-minded, but multi-faceted; it occurs in every field of human endeavor – political, legal, educational, medical, scientific, religious, and creative. It starts in our families, by teaching our children what it means to value life, and spreads throughout our communities. 

Despite the election outcomes in these states, the humanity of the child and her mother remains unchanged and must be upheld in law and public opinion. Florida, Nebraska, and South Dakota held the line, recognizing that law must protect what is necessary even for the law to exist – human life. AUL and its supporters will not falter or fail until every state recognizes the value of all human life, however long that takes.