Amendments on State-Funded Abortion Approved by 2 States, Rejected in 1

The 45th Annual March for Life rally in Washington on Jan. 19, 2018. Samira Bouaou/The Epoch Times

Abortion amendments were passed in Alabama and West Virginia on Oct. 6, while one on the ballot in Oregon was voted down.

West Virginia

In West Virginia, one of 17 states that funds abortion with taxpayer money, residents voted for Amendment 1 removing state funding for elective abortions by 3.46 percentage points.

The amendment adds language to the constitution saying that nothing in it “secures or protects a right to abortion or requires the funding of abortion.” This will prohibit Medicaid from covering the procedure, except under certain circumstances, such as if the mother’s life is jeopardized by the pregnancy, the fetus is a product of reported rape or incest, or if it has a congenital condition.

Oregon

Oregon voted down an amendment that would prohibit state funding for abortion, except when medically necessary or required by federal law, by a margin of almost 28 points. That number is still preliminary because as of Nov. 7, not all ballots had been counted.