Nevadans must protect reproductive rights at home

As the U.S. Supreme Court weighs its ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, a case that directly challenges Roe v. Wade, the stakes for reproductive freedom and abortion access are higher than ever before.

If the constitutional right to abortion is overturned, there could be sweeping consequences all across the country and in Nevada. Tens of millions of people could face additional barriers to accessing care, including delays, long wait times, increased costs, lost wages, having to find child care, or even having to seek care out of state. 

Make no mistake, Nevada is a state with a strong history of protecting and respecting reproductive freedom. Abortion is and will remain legal here, no matter what happens in this case, thanks to our state laws and Nevadans who voted to protect our right to decide more than 30 years ago.

Why am I so confident that the right to abortion is protected here in Nevada? Because for over 50 years, our state has passed laws protecting abortion rights and voters have affirmed them. In 1973, Nevada enacted a law affirming the right to decide. In 1990, Nevada voters with 64% of the vote approved Question 7, a referendum locking protections for abortion access into state law. Nevada is one of several states — 21, to be exact, plus the District of Columbia — with protections for abortion written into their state statutes and/or state constitutions.

However, it is important to remember that our abortion protections are not written into our state constitution. Our law protecting abortion was affirmed through an initiative process pursuant to Nevada’s constitution, so it can only be amended with approval from a direct vote of the people. Nevadans would need to approve a ballot measure and pass it in two consecutive elections to do that. 

Anti-choice politicians running to be Nevada’s next governor and U.S. senator have shown blatant disregard for the will of Nevada voters and our initiative process by using scare tactics and making threats to repeal our voter-protected right to abortion. For example, when Republican gubernatorial candidate Dean Heller said he would “get the most conservative abortion laws that we can have in this state, regardless of who’s controlling the Legislature at the time,” he demonstrated that he is either ignorant of how Nevada lawmaking works, or is willfully disregarding the will of the voters. 

The state Legislature sets our laws, not the governor. And that Legislature currently has a majority which supports reproductive freedom. Heller cannot act independently to repeal our abortion laws. And any legislative attempt to ban abortion in Nevada needs to be approved by voters, per Question 7. That is a very good thing, because Heller is not the only candidate running for governor who is making threats they cannot deliver on.

Knowing this context and Nevada’s place among the few states with abortion rights protected by a popular referendum, one thing is clear: We need bold action to continue protecting and advancing reproductive freedom. That means all of us, from all corners of the state, working together to both fight for proactive policies and elect lawmakers who are ready to meet this moment. We must roll up our sleeves and get to work fighting for our fundamental rights and filling in our gaps in access. 

For many Nevadans, the freedom to decide is a right in name only because they lack the resources to access care or have no provider near them. According to the Guttmacher Insitute, there were 11 facilities providing abortion in Nevada in 2017. These numbers are a decline in clinics from 2014, when there were 13 abortion-providing facilities overall, of which eight were clinics. This means access to abortion in the state is shrinking when we instead need it to expand. 

We must push our political leaders to address these barriers to care as we see an influx of pregnant people traveling from other states where they are blocked from seeking abortion care. This could potentially strain our already-limited clinics and lead to increased wait times and other barriers for Nevadans seeking care. 

Now, more than ever, we must work to ensure that Nevada’s elected leaders continue to represent the values of the more than 8 in 10 Nevadans who support the legal right to abortion. We must solidify Nevada’s place as a beacon for reproductive freedom and fill in the gaps in our care. 

The 2022 midterm elections are just around the corner, and it is vital that the majority — who support reproductive freedom — speak out now. Make your support for our fundamental rights clear and reject candidates who make extremist pledges to ban abortion and insert politicians into people’s personal decisions about pregnancy. 

Join us at NARAL Pro-Choice Nevada to find out how to make your voice heard. Nevadans have spoken on this before, and we will not go backwards.

Caroline Mello Roberson is the Southwest regional director for NARAL Pro-Choice America.