Thousands of protesters descended on the Supreme Court today as it heard arguments in the biggest abortion case in a generation.
Still, no matter what the justices decide in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, which challenges Mississippi’s restrictive abortion law, there is likely to be little impact in Nevada, according to a reporter who covers the Legislature in Carson City.
Nevada Public Radio news producer Paul Boger said state residents have already made their voices heard at the polls and in opinion surveys.
In 1990, voters overwhelmingly approved a measure that, without another vote of the people, enshrines current law. More recently, a 2014 survey from the Pew Charitable Trust found two-thirds of Nevadans supported the idea that abortion “should be legal in all or most cases,” one of the highest percentages in the country.
Nevada allows abortions up to the 24th week of pregnancy and after that when the health of the mother is in jeopardy.
“While lawmakers can change abortion laws here in the state, they can't do away with it, Boger said. “And if they do make those changes, they would then have to go to the voters on the next election.”
Boger said that even if a Republican wave were to sweep the GOP into office — taking both houses of the Legislature and the governor’s office — it would still be a challenge to change abortion law, even though the issue will likely come up frequently during next year’s election campaigns.
Paul Boger, producer, Nevada Public Radio