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Here’s a huge win that came out of yesterday’s election that will make things seem a little less terrifying
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Here’s a huge win that came out of yesterday’s election that will make things seem a little less terrifying

Almost everywhere abortion was on the ballot, Americans voted to protect it.

Of the 10 states where abortion rights were on the ballot Tuesday, seven voted to expand or enshrine abortion rights. The results are emblematic of what pro-choice advocates have been saying for decades: Abortion rights are very popular.

In the biggest win of the night, deep red Missouri decided to codify protections against abortion in the state constitution. The measure would repeal the nearly total ban on abortion and restore access up to about 24 weeks of pregnancy — marking the first time since Roe v. Wade fell that voters have overturned a ban on abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest.

Voters in Maryland and Colorado backed amendments to enshrine access to abortion throughout pregnancy — a progressive victory in states that have become safe havens for late-pregnancy abortion care. Notably, the Colorado amendment also repeals a 1984 state law that prohibited the use of public funds for abortion care.

Arizona, Montana and Nevada all voted to enact amendments codifying abortion through fetal viability, or around 24 weeks of pregnancy, into their state constitutions.

New Yorkers adopted a historic amendment to expand the state’s equal rights amendment to include pregnancy and the results of pregnancy. The amendment also includes protections against discrimination based on ethnicity, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.

Group of people holding signs advocating voting rights and reproductive freedom at a rallyGroup of people holding signs advocating voting rights and reproductive freedom at a rally

Baltimore Sun / TNS

Three states – Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota – voted against abortion rights. A slim majority of Nebraska voters backed an anti-abortion amendment to codify the state’s current 12-week abortion ban, overriding the state’s competing abortion rights measure.

The result was Florida especially heartbreaking for pro-choice groups, as a majority of Floridians (57%) supported the amendment, voting to restore access to abortion until fetal viability. But because voters did not meet the state’s 60 percent threshold for amending the state constitution, Amendment 4 did not pass.

“The reality is that because of the Florida constitution, a minority — a minority — a minority of Florida voters decided that Amendment 4 was not going to pass,” Yes On 4 campaign director Lauren Brenzel said during her speech on Tuesday night concession.

“Republicans, Democrats and independents do not support these extreme abortion bans. They are tired of women dying because of the abortion ban,” she continued. “…A bipartisan group of voters sent a clear message to the Florida legislature today.”

Despite 7 out of 10 states voting to protect abortion care, voters still supported a presidential candidate who would very likely to decimate women’s reproductive health care. Donald Trump may have shied away from his anti-abortion record on the campaign trail, but now that he’s headed for the White House, those railings will likely fall by the wayside.

Trump has wafer on a nationwide abortion ban, but many of his allies have laid out a plan to ban abortion nationwide in Project 2025.

Donald Trump speaks into a microphone at a rally while pointing his fingerDonald Trump speaks into a microphone at a rally while pointing his finger

Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

A federal abortion ban would override state rights, including abortion rights measures that seven states passed last night, according to Mary Ziegler, an expert on reproductive health law at the University of California, Davis School of Law. The Comstock Act, an archaic law banning mail-in abortion pills, would likely supersede state rights if Trump enacts it as a national abortion ban.

Although the GOP won control of the Senate, control of the House — and with it, Trump’s ability to push a national abortion ban through Congress — is still up in the air.

There will be litigation in every state that has passed an abortion rights amendment Tuesday night. Opponents of the measures will likely bring legal challenges against successful initiatives and fight to maintain other abortion regulations, such as waiting periods and mandatory counseling.This article originally appeared on HuffPost.