Nevada’s Joe Lombardo on Tuesday became one of the first Republican governors to enshrine protections for out-of-state abortion patients and in-state providers
Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo speaks at the old Assembly Chambers in Carson City, Nev., Tuesday, May 30, 2023.CARSON CITY — , adding the western swing state to the list of those passing new laws to solidify their status as safe havens for abortion patients.
Lombardo, who describes himself as “pro-life” and was endorsed by the National Right to Life Committee, said on the campaign trail that he would respect the will of voters who codified abortion rights up to 24 weeks in a 1990 referendum vote. He was the only Republican to defeat a state Democratic incumbent in the last election.
The provisions were a major flashpoint in one of the closest governor’s races of the 2022 midterms and became the latest reflection point for how Republican lawmakers and candidates navigate abortion policy debates in blue to purple states. Lombardo originally said he would repeal the executive order, but said months later he would uphold it, a reversal that Sisolak’s campaign repeatedly emphasized.
Cannizzaro told The Associated Press last month that she was not aware of particular cases of outside states prosecuting women who have come to Nevada for abortions, but said that could happen with more restrictive laws coming from other states. She referenced restrictions approved in neighboring Idaho and Utah.Democratic-controlled states from California to Colorado to Rhode Island have approved similar legislation to the one in Nevada.