Ten states are considering adding language guaranteeing abortion rights to their state constitutions during elections this year.

Voters in seven of the states approved the ballot questions. Three rejected them.

The results mean a dramatic redrawing of the map for abortion access in parts of the country. Half of the measures cement existing protections against abortion that were already outlined in state law.

States that have extended access

In Missouri, which has one of the strictest abortion bans in the nationvoters approved an amendment that would guarantee access to abortion up to the point of fetal viability, generally in the 24th week of pregnancy.

Missouri was the first state to ban abortion — even in cases of rape and only with an exception for medical emergencies — after the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022.

Abortion rights advocates gathered hundreds of thousands of signatures for a vote on the amendment to legalize abortion up to fetal viability, which is around 24 weeks.

In Arizona, voters approved a ballot measure to enshrine abortion rights to the point of viability in the state constitution, likely changing the state’s 15-week abortion law.

The measure also allows exceptions for abortions beyond the point of viability to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.

To qualify for ballots, supporters of the citizen-led initiative gathered more than 800,000 signatures — more than double the required threshold — and raised $32 million — 25 times more than opponents raised.

States that have rejected abortion amendments

His supporters proposal to add the right to abortion Florida’s constitution faced a tough challenge, requiring 60 percent approval for approval, and the state’s Republican leadership opposed it.

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The vote means the state six-week abortion ban will stay put. Abortion rights advocates fear it will delay care and put women’s lives at risk.

The amendment’s failure leaves access tightly limited in the South, where most states either ban abortion at any point during pregnancy or up to six weeks — when many people don’t know they’re pregnant.

In Nebraska, voters backed the state’s 12-week abortion ban over a competing proposal to allow abortion up to fetal viability.

The constitutional amendment prohibits second- and third-trimester abortions, with some exceptions. It also allows lawmakers to further restrict access to abortion.

A competing proposal to expand abortion rights failed to garner enough votes.

In South Dakota, voters rejected an abortion rights amendment, affirming one of the strictest abortion bans in the country. The only exception is saving the woman’s life. There are no exceptions for health or pregnancies resulting from rape or incest.

Leslie Unruh is with the Life Defense Fund, the group opposing the South Dakota amendment. She says the difference came down to funding and organization.

“I’ve never seen people work a campaign so hard. From door to door. Phone call. Give sacrifice. It was really humbling for me to watch and see that. I have been involved in a lot of politics over the years. This is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced. Wonderful,” she said.

States that have codified already existing abortion rights

Colorado is already a regional center for abortion access. Voters on Tuesday approved an amendment that would codify abortion protections, including barring local governments from passing their own laws to try to restrict the procedure. Removes Colorado’s current constitutional ban against public funding for abortions and allows the state to cover the procedure under Medicaid and add it to state employee health plans.

In Nevada, abortion is one step closer to being constitutionally protected after voters approved a statewide ballot question, but the measure would need to pass again in 2026 to be approved on full.

The proposal would add language to the state constitution guaranteeing the right to abortion up to fetal viability. Abortion is already protected under Nevada law until viability, according to a 1990 ballot measure that legalized abortions under state law.

Although abortion is already legal in Maryland, voters there approved an amendment to make it extremely difficult for lawmakers in the future to pass a law that could limit reproductive care without violating the state constitution.

Montana’s passage of an abortion amendment won’t change the status quo — access to abortion is already protected by a 1999 Montana Supreme Court precedent that found the state’s right to privacy protects the right to terminate a pregnancy.

Courts have upheld that precedent in recent years, the state’s majority Republican government has tried to limit abortion.

According to the new amendment, the Montana Constitution will now explicitly prohibit the government from burdening the right to abortion before fetal viability — around the 24th week of pregnancy. The measure also guarantees access to post-viability abortion to protect the life or health of the pregnant woman.

In New York, New York voters approved an amendment designed to strengthen legal support for the state’s current access to abortion, along with protections against various forms of discrimination.

Initiative was placed on the ballot by the Democratic-controlled Legislature in response to the US Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade two years ago.

Although the amendment does not include the word “abortion,” claims that no one can face discrimination because of “sex, including sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, pregnancy, pregnancy outcomes, and reproductive health care and autonomy.”

Contributors: Katherine Davis Young, KJZZ, Bente Birkeland, Colorado Public Radio, Regan McCarthy, WFSU, Scott Maucione, WYPR, Jason Rosenbaum, St. Louis Public Radio, Shaylee Ragar, Montana Public Radio, Elizabeth Rembert, Nebraska Public Media, Lucia Starbuck, KUNR, Ian Pickus, WAMC, Lee Strubinger, South Dakota Public Broadcasting

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