NASHVILLE (BP) — Florida became the first state to defeat a pro-abortion ballot initiative when voters on Tuesday (Nov. 5) rejected Amendment 4, which would have made abortion a constitutional right.

Florida was one of 10 states with abortion initiatives on state ballots Tuesday, with South Dakota and Nebraska following Florida’s example in defeating measures designed to loosen any restrictions on abortion. Nebraska had both a pro-life and pro-abortion initiative on the ballot. The former passed; the latter failed.

Pro-abortion amendments passed in Arizona (62%), Colorado (61%), Maryland (74%), Missouri (52%), Montana (57%), Nevada (55%) and New York (62%). South Dakota defeated a pro-abortion constitutional amendment with 60% of the vote.

The Nevada amendment will have to pass again in 2026 to take effect.

“We are so thankful for God’s kindness in this area by defeating Amendment 4, the Right to Abortion Initiative,” said Aaron Burgner, pastor of Lakes Church in Lakeland, Florida, and president of the Florida Baptist Convention’s State Board of Missions. “We are thankful for all the Florida Baptist churches and pastors who led out in their communities to get the word out about the truth of Amendment 4. We are grateful that God has chosen to use Christians to have an influence in our communities and our state.”

Since the 2022 Dobbs case in which the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion advocates have rallied at the state level to remove as many restrictions as possible. Prior to Tuesday’s election, seven states had passed ballot measures related to abortion, with pro-life measures losing every time.

“As we process the abortion ballot initiatives from across the country, it is obvious that there is a critical need, not only in policy but at a more basic level, in individual hearts and consciences, for a better understanding of the humanity of preborn children,” said Brent Leatherwood, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC). “Voters in Florida, South Dakota and Nebraska rejected pro-abortion measures, showing there is a path forward for the cause of life.

“That said, the reality is, the majority of states with such initiatives chose a deadlier path,” Leatherwood continued. “Preborn children are in danger, and we will work with our churches and partners to oppose and combat this urgent cultural crisis.”

Florida currently bans abortion after six weeks of pregnancy, a restriction that took effect earlier this year. Amendment 4, known as the “Right to Abortion Initiative,” would have allowed for abortions up to viability, or around 24 weeks. However, pro-life advocates argued that the initiative’s vague language would have made abortion accessible at any stage of pregnancy. It needed 60% of the vote to pass and received 57%.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and his wife Casey were a major reason for Amendment 4’s defeat in Florida, as they lobbied vigorously against it.

“Thank you @GovRonDeSantis @CaseyDeSantis and the tireless work of your team in getting the truth out there about amendment 4,” wrote Dean Inserra, lead pastor of City Church in Tallahassee, Florida, on X Tuesday night. “True leadership, and pro-life conviction.”

Jimmy Scroggins, lead pastor of Family Church in south Florida, also cheered the outcome.

“The pastors and churches of Florida worked and gave money and spoke up and voted,” Scroggins posted on X. “And Amendment 4 went down. Well done to all the Jesus people in the Free State. And thanks @GovRonDeSantis.”

In Missouri, voters passed Amendment 3 that establishes a woman’s “fundamental right” to abortion up to fetal viability with 52% of the vote. Pro-life advocates said the ambiguously worded amendment overturns 52 pro-life laws on the books, including parental consent and notification, and makes Missouri one of the most pro-abortion states in the nation.

“It injects an intentionally broad, elastic term into the constitution – reproductive freedom – that covers abortion but will also inevitably be extended by lawyers and judges to include everything related to reproductive organs,” including gender transitioning drugs or surgery, human cloning research and all future reproductive technologies, according to Michael Whitehead, a trial attorney in Kansas City, Missouri, and outside general counsel for the Missouri Baptist Convention.

Brandy Meeks, a commissioner with the Missouri Baptist Christian Life Commission and president of Vitae Foundation, a pro-life organization in Jefferson City, Missouri, said despite the defeat on Tuesday, she saw encouraging signs for the future.

“We saw church engagement on this issue skyrocket,” Meeks said. “It was really a beautiful surprise.”

She expects that churches will feel grieved along with the pro-life advocates who were heavily invested in defeating Amendment 3. Meeks said she hopes the failure will mobilize churches to be more engaged than ever as the hands and feet of Christ in helping people deal with unexpected pregnancies.

“When you share that pain and that grief together, I do think that there are wonderful things that can happen on the other side of it, and that’s my prayer,” she said.

(EDITOR’S NOTE — Tim Ellsworth is associate vice president for university communications at Union University in Jackson, Tenn.)