Abortion rights supporters came from as far as California today Wednesday to support local organizations in opposition to a ballot initiative that would restrict abortions in Albuquerque.
Pro-life protesters took their support of the measure to the streets in recent days but Eveline Shen says New Mexico has a long history of protecting women's rights. She's the executive director of Forward Together, a Bay Area reproductive rights organization. "People who are launching these attacks are getting frustrated," Shen explained, "because they have repeatedly tried to put bans on abortion at the state legislature and we have been able to defeat them every time."
But Brianna Baxter pointed to the 27,000 signatures her anti-abortion organization collected in order to get the measure on the ballot in Albuquerque as an example of how much support abortion restrictions have here. "We would love to see it adopted because of the number of signatures we got," she said.
If the Albuquerque City Clerk certifies all of the petition signatures, the City Council would have to pass the measure or put it to voters within 90 days. The proposal would restrict abortions after 20 weeks.
