Michigan, Kentucky among states with abortion on ballot

WASHINGTON (AP) — Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned the nationwide right to abortion this summer, a dozen states have passed near-total bans and the issue has been thrust to the center of races around the country.

But the only direct test of how voters feel about abortion law after Roe v. Wade has been in Kansas, where voters soundly rejected a push to eliminate state constitutional protections for abortion. Now, with Tuesday's midterm election, five more states will get a gauge of voter sentiment about abortion, from deep-red Kentucky to purple Michigan and blue California.

The most closely watched vote is in Michigan, a state that's long been one of the country's most competitive presidential battlegrounds. Supporters of a push to protect abortion rights in the state's constitution collected more signatures than any other ballot initiative in state history to get it before voters.

If passed, the ballot measure would put a definitive end to a 1931 ban on abortion. A Michigan judge has blocked the ban, but another court could revive it after the overturning of Roe in June. If successful, the ballot would negate that ban and affirm the right to make pregnancy-related decisions about abortion and other reproductive services like birth control without interference.

Opponents have claimed the measure could have far-reaching effects on other Michigan laws, such as one requiring parental notification of an abortion for someone under age 18. But legal experts say changes to other laws would only happen if someone filed a lawsuit and won, a process that could take years and has no certainty of success.

Meanwhile, voters in Kentucky are considering a ballot measure that would do the opposite — amend the state constitution to say there is no right to abortion. State lawmakers have already passed a near-total ban; the...