Nevada enshrines abortion rights in its constitution

Nevada voters approved an amendment enshrining abortion rights in the state constitution, permanently protecting access through the second trimester after a second referendum on the measure. Nevada Question 6 established a fundamental right to abortion and led 62.3% to 37.7% with 86% of votes counted when the Associated Press called the race.

• •The amendment permanently protects abortion access through the second trimester
• •It allows the state to regulate abortion after viability, except when medically necessary to protect the life or health of the pregnant patient

Virginia approves reproductive freedom amendment

Virginia voters also approved a constitutional amendment establishing a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom," protecting abortion in the first two trimesters. The Virginia constitutional amendment permits regulation in the third trimester while preserving access when needed to protect life or health, and also establishes rights to contraception and fertility care.

Missouri rejects repeal, Idaho keeps its ban

Missouri voters rejected Amendment 3, which would have repealed the reproductive freedom constitutional right approved in 2024, by a margin of 55% to 45%. The measure, placed on the ballot by the Republican-led legislature, would have restricted abortion and prohibited gender transition surgeries and certain other procedures for minors.

• •The proposal would have banned abortion except in cases of rape and incest during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy
• •It would also have allowed later abortions in cases involving fetal anomalies

In Idaho, voters rejected an effort to repeal the state's abortion ban, leaving the 2022 restrictions in place. Those restrictions took effect in 2022 after the US supreme court overturned Roe v Wade, ending the nationwide constitutional right to abortion.

Advocates react and Senate races shaped by abortion

Reproductive Freedom for All said in a statement: "The American people sent a clear message: Our government belongs to us, not the extremists who have spent years attacking our fundamental freedoms." The group's statement added that by taking back the House and Senate, voters put a powerful check on Trump and his attacks on reproductive freedom.

The Center for Reproductive Rights, celebrating the victories, said the work ahead must include protecting access to abortion and advancing federal safeguards for reproductive freedom.

Abortion also featured in Senate races. In Michigan, Abdul El-Sayed, a progressive doctor, won by emphasizing personal healthcare decisions and highlighting opponent Mike Rogers' support for extreme abortion bans. In New Hampshire, Chris Pappas won by focusing on opponent John Sununu's support for an abortion ban and for Justice Samuel Alito, who authored the Dobbs decision. In Georgia, Jon Ossoff won re-election after challenging Republican Mike Collins over his past support for a total abortion ban, pressing him during a debate to explain his changed stance.

The outcomes fit a longer pattern. In 2024, voters decided 11 statewide abortion-related measures, the most in a single year as of 2026. Ballotpedia counts 65 such measures decided between 1970 and 2025: 44 supported by anti-abortion organizations and 21 by pro-choice or reproductive rights supporters. Since the 2022 supreme court ruling, voters in more than one-fifth of states have approved ballot measures protecting abortion rights.