The fate of ballot measures seeking to expand abortion access — and opposed by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — was in the hands of Idaho and Nevada voters Tuesday.
And they delivered a split decision, with Nevadans voting to widen access and Idahoans rejecting such a move.
Unofficial returns in the early evening put the Gem State’s Reproductive Freedom and Privacy Act, more commonly known as Proposition 1, in a solid lead.
But that advantage shriveled throughout the night, and the results eventually flipped. Unofficial results Wednesday morning showed the ballot proposal failed 56% to 44%, with all 44 localities reporting.
Had the measure passed, it would have allowed for abortion up to “fetal viability,” or after in the case of “medical emergencies,” starting in January 2027.
Current state law, in contrast, bars the procedure at all stages of pregnancy with an exception for the life of the mother. Survivors of rape and incest who have reported the crime to law enforcement can also seek an abortion during the first trimester.
The Utah-based church announced its opposition to the ballot measure in September in a brief statement signed by the four-member U.S. Central Area Presidency and read over pulpits.
In October, the deep-pocketed faith cut a $1 million check to the political action committee trying to sink it — by far the largest single contribution to the group Too Extreme for Idaho PAC.
Latter-day Saint Idahoan Amy Haycock celebrated the news of the measure’s failure.
“I’m extremely happy and relieved,” the mother of five said, calling herself “proud that we uphold life and value it.”
Democratic state Sen. Soñia Galaviz, also a Latter-day Saint, said she and other measure backers are “gutted.”
Nonetheless, Galaviz said, “the message from thousands of Idaho voters is clear: Our existing law is not good enough. Pregnant women deserve to have their lives protected, especially in medical emergencies.”
She added: “We will not give up.”
In Nevada, the church issued a nearly identical statement, but apparently kept its purse strings pulled tight, in the case of Question 6, aimed at enshrining in the state constitution abortion rules similar to those already in effect in statute.
That measure cruised to an easy victory, as expected by observers, with 63% of voters in support as of 8 a.m. Wednesday.
While the global faith condemns “elective abortion for personal or social convenience,” it has long held that there are circumstances in which abortion is not a sin. Those include a pregnancy resulting from rape or incest, if the “life or health” of the mother is in “serious jeopardy,” and instances when a fetus is found to have “severe defects that will not allow the baby to survive beyond birth.”
Even if Idaho’s Prop 1 had passed, the Legislature was all but certain to retool or repeal the measure. In this scenario, Idahoans could have overridden lawmakers with a veto referendum.

Tamarra Kemsley