On Election Day, voters in South Dakota, Colorado, and California rejected ballot initiatives to restrict abortion access while those in Michigan endorsed stem cell research.
By a margin of 55% to 45%, South Dakotans defeated Measure 11, which would have banned abortions except in the case of rape, incest, or a serious threat to the mother's health or life. This is the second time in 2 years that antiabortion advocates have tried to enact a ban. In 2006, an abortion ban was signed into law but never went into effect because it was overturned by voters later that year.
In California, voters defeated an attempt to require parental notification before a minor could receive an abortion. Proposition 4 would have changed the California constitution to prohibit abortions for minors until 48 hours after a parent or legal guardian had been notified. The proposition would have made exceptions in the case of a medical emergency, and it contained a pathway for minors to seek a waiver from the courts.
Supporters of the proposition argued that it would prevent sexual predators from using secret abortions to cover up their exploitation of minors. Opponents argued that parental notification is ineffective and potentially dangerous for young women. Voters defeated the proposition by a margin of 52% to 48%. Similar ballot initiatives were defeated in the state in 2005 and 2006.
In Colorado, voters rejected by a margin of 73% to 27% a constitutional amendment that would have defined a “person” as any human being from the moment of fertilization.
Stem cell research was on the ballot in Michigan, where voters approved an amendment to the state's constitution to remove previous restrictions on human embryonic stem cell research. Under the proposal, which was approved 53% to 47%, human embryos created for fertility treatment can now be used for research.
The proposal also places some limits on deriving stem cells and obtaining embryos for research. For example, stem cells cannot be taken from human embryos more than 14 days after cell division begins and individuals are prohibited from selling or purchasing human embryos for stem cell research.