'Ensuring Reproductive Rights' Is Aim Of MD Abortion Rights Referendum: Gov. Moore

ANNAPOLIS, MD — Maryland voters will decide next year whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state's constitution as lawmakers aim to make the state a safe haven for those seeking the procedure, according to a Washington Post report.

The General Assembly on Thursday decided to send the proposed constitutional amendment to voters, who will see the referendum on the 2024 ballot, the Post reported.

If voters approve the referendum, Maryland residents would have a "fundamental right to reproductive freedom, "which would include the right to obtain an abortion, according to a WYPR report. The state would also be prohibited from "denying, burdening, or abridging" that right.

The Maryland House of Delegates first approved the referendum in early March.

Governor Wes Moore and Lt. Governor Aruna Miller released statements on the General Assembly’s passage of legislation to enshrine reproductive rights in Maryland’s constitution.

“I’ve been very clear from the beginning that as long as I am the Governor of Maryland, our state will be a safe haven for abortion access. This constitutional amendment will make sure it remains that way, no matter who is in office," Moore said. "Our state is one step closer to ensuring the reproductive rights of future generations of Marylanders are enshrined in the Maryland Constitution. The legislation will now become a referendum for Maryland voters on the 2024 ballot."

Moore said Maryland will continue to lead the fight to protect reproductive freedom.

“This legislation puts the State of Maryland on a path to making abortion a constitutionally-protected right. It also sends a clear message that here in Maryland, we value choice and freedom," Miller said. "Governor Moore and I know that reproductive rights are something we can never take for granted, and we will continue to work tirelessly to ensure Maryland is a welcoming state for individuals to make their own reproductive health care decisions.”

Both Moore and Miller thanked Speaker of the House Adrienne A. Jones for her push to win passage of the bill.

"It is the highest level of protection that we can give people in Maryland, especially given the decision this past summer of the U.S. Supreme decided that abortion was not protected under a constitution," Del. Joseline Peña-Melnyk said earlier this month.

This is the third time since 2019 that the General Assembly has considered enshrining abortion rights in the constitution. The House passed the bill last year, but it later died in the Senate.

This year, Senate President Bill Ferguson (D-Baltimore City), who sponsored the Senate bill, vowed a vote from the full Senate and predicted its passage.

The referendum is among several pieces of legislation proposed by Maryland lawmakers designed to protect abortion access and providers in the state.

Maryland Democrats have also given preliminary approval to legislation designed to shield patients and providers from criminal laws passed in anti-abortion states, according to the Post. Other legislation proposed hiding abortion care in medical records. Both bills have cleared preliminary votes in both chambers, the Post reported.

Just three other states have abortion protections enshrined in their constitutions — California, Vermont and Michigan, all passed in November 2022, according to the Post.