Supporters chant and raise signs at the Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom Kickoff Rally on the College of Southern Nevada Campus on Feb. 24, 2024.
Saturday, Feb. 24, 2024 | 5:37 p.m.
Nevada advocacy groups kicked off their campaign to codify abortion access into the Nevada constitution at a rally on the College of Southern Nevada’s North Las Vegas campus Saturday.
Dozens of residents attended the event, hosted by Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom (N4RF), which had several speakers and stations for attendees to sign the petition for ballot measure. The petition must have over 102,392 signatures — including over 25,000 from each of Nevada’s four congressional districts — by June 26.
“We are here to kick off one of the most important ballot campaigns that we have ever had here in Nevada,” Nevada State Senate Majority Leader Nicole Cannizzaro, D-Las Vegas, said during the event.
If the petition receives the almost 102,400 signatures it will be put on the state ballot in November. If the measure passes, the amendment will then appear on the 2026 general election ballot.
Since the Supreme Court’s 2022 ruling reversing its ruling in the 1973 landmark Roe v. Wade case, several states have increased restrictions or had clinics stop providing services, including 12 states that have enacted near-total bans on abortion, according to the Guttmacher Institute. Abortion is legal in Nevada up to 24 weeks of pregnancy and Nevada’s Senate Bill 131, passed in May 2023, protects abortion patients and providers from out-of-state prosecution.
“The status of abortion access and reproductive healthcare nationwide has never been more in peril,” said Tova Yampolsky, the Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom’s campaign manager. “As more neighboring states are passing more restrictive anti-abortion laws, it is even more critical now than ever that we expand access to healthcare and codify that in the Nevada state constitution.”
Early in the event as Cannizzaro spoke, several protestors rushed the stage, ripping up NV4RF signs and wearing black shirts with anti-abortion statements. Several were escorted out by police, but other protestors were allowed to stay — yelling at speakers as supporters covered their faces with signs to block the noise.
Many of the speakers urged Nevada residents to sign the petition and volunteer to spread the word, emphasizing that the ballot measure would allow the amendment to represent the will of the voters.
“I believe strongly in freedom, in people making choices that are right for them, and politicians not interfering,” said Caroline Roberson, director of state campaigns for Reproductive Freedom for All. “And the truth is, the majority of Nevadans agree with that, too.”
A recent Alabama justice’s ruling on in vitro fertilization was a topic frequently brought up by speakers during the event, using the ruling as an example of increasing restrictions on healthcare. Illinois Governor J. B. Pritzker said the IVF ruling made it “clear” he needed to support abortion access not just in Illinois, but in other states as well. Pritzker also said the ballot measure would stop “MAGA extremists” from banning abortion in Nevada.
“You are on the front lines in the fight against the right-wing extremists and I’m proud to be your ally in this fight and support you,” Pritzker said during the event. “Thank you for letting me be part of your battle.”
As of Saturday, the petition has gathered over 10,000 signatures, a spokesperson for NV4RF said.
