Nevada has long been a haven for activities that are illegal or taboo in other places. And after the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade with the Dobbs decision in June 2022, the state is providing a safe place for abortions while other states, including Arizona, Utah and Idaho, have restricted the essential healthcare.
Abortion is legal in Nevada up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. The law was approved by two-thirds of voters in a 1990 referendum.
According to the Society of Family Planning’s WeCount report released in October 2023, Nevada’s average monthly abortions increased 33% after the Dobbs decision, from 1,035 in April and May 2022 to 1,382 in July 2022 to June 2023.
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains has had to adjust to an approximate 40% increase in abortion care in their Las Vegas health centers from 2021 to 2023.
“Abortion care is time sensitive and we’re committed to making sure patients, regardless of what ZIP code they are coming from, are able to receive the compassionate, quality, and timely care they need,” says Adrienne Mansanares, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains. “In order to accommodate an increase in patients having to travel to places like Las Vegas, we have added staff, expanded our health center hours, and we’re making telemedicine more accessible.”
According to the WeCount report, of the Western states where abortion is still legal past 18 weeks, New Mexico had the largest percent increase in average monthly abortions at 60%. Nevada had the second-largest increase at 33%, and Colorado had the third-largest at 29% after the Dobbs decision.
The Nevadans for Reproductive Freedom PAC is gathering signatures on a petition that would put a question on the November 2024 ballot as to whether the right to abortion up to 24 weeks should be amended to the state constitution. Without a constitutional amendment, the law could be overturned by another referendum vote.
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