Abortion Rights Amendment Falls Short in Florida Ballot

In Florida, a proposal to amend the state constitution for abortion rights narrowly missed the 60% vote threshold. This marks the first such measure to fail since the Supreme Court's 2022 decision. Meanwhile, similar measures appeared poised to pass in Arizona and Missouri, according to projections.

In a significant development, Florida's proposal to amend its state constitution to guarantee abortion rights narrowly failed to pass, according to projections by Edison Research on Tuesday. This makes it the first such measure to fail since the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in 2022 that ended constitutional protections for the procedure.

Voters in 10 states, including Florida, responded to abortion rights measures on the ballots during Tuesday's elections. While Florida fell short of the necessary 60% approval, similar measures were projected to succeed in states like Arizona and Missouri, overturning restrictive abortion bans.

Despite garnering 57% of the vote with 95% counted, the Florida measure could not surpass the required threshold, allowing the existing six-week abortion ban to remain. This outcome was lauded by anti-abortion advocates, while supporters vowed to continue their efforts for women's reproductive rights.

(With inputs from agencies.)