MARYLAND - Maryland has officially voted to amend the State's Constitution to further protect abortion rights.
Question 1 asked voters if they wanted the ability to prevent, continue, or end a pregnancy to be officially safeguarded in Maryland's Constitution, rejecting any future attempts to restrict access to abortions.
"The proposed amendment confirms an individual's fundamental right to reproductive freedom, including but not limited to the ability to make and effectuate decisions to prevent, continue, or end the individual's pregnancy, and provides the State may not, directly or indirectly, deny, burden, or abridge the right unless justified by a compelling State interest achieved by the least restrictive means," the amendment reads.
The amendment was proposed in the wake of the 2022 Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. Maryland joins several other states with constitutional protections for those seeking abortions following the Court's decision.
Question 1 was declared passed on the Associated Press with 1,578,810 votes for and 551,169 against.
