Vermont may become the first state to guarantee abortion access. Lawmakers in the Vermont House of Representatives approved a proposal to amend the state constitution in order to protect reproductive rights, including abortions.
The “Reproductive Liberty” amendment was approved after what was sometimes an emotional debate and passed by a vote of 107 to 41. Now the proposal will go to state voters in this year’s elections in November.
If the voters choose to support the bill, it will become a binding referendum and the state constitution will be amended.
The amendment will uphold the same abortion rights that women in Vermont have enjoyed for half a century, and enshrine these values into the state constitution.
Rep. Ann Pugh said that it is becoming clear that reproductive autonomy and abortion rights are under attack at a national level, despite it being a fundamental right. The attacks against reproductive rights led the Vermont Legislature to want to protect these rights within the state.
The Supreme Court is currently mulling over a case that would bring seismic changes to reproductive rights. Cases being heard by the Supreme Court from Texas and Mississippi could undo the landmark Roe v. Wade ruling that legalized abortion nationwide.
Across the U.S., lawmakers in Republican-led states are poised to further restrict abortions or completely ban them. At least 20 states have “trigger laws” poised to go into effect if the Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade. The trigger laws would severely restrict or completely ban abortions.
On the other side, more than a dozen states, as well as the District of Columbia, have statutory protections in place for abortion rights.
Vermont’s Reproductive Liberty Amendment, known as Proposal 5, does not contain the word “abortion”. Lawmakers said that it is. because Proposal 5 is not meant to authorize only abortion, but to guarantee other reproductive rights, including the right to get pregnant and access to birth control.
Under current Vermont laws, abortions after 22 weeks must be approved by an ethics board. Reasons for abortions after 22 weeks include fetal anomalies or threats to the mother’s life.
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