Language is getting extra scrutiny in states with abortion on the ballot, as courts and election officials decide which wording—such as fetus, embryo or “unborn human being”—belongs in official voter information.
“There’s fights over that language, and I do think it matters,” said Laura Portuondo, a University of Houston Law Center professor who focuses on constitutional law and reproductive rights. People on both sides are going to try to push toward their preferred interpretation, she said in an interview.
Measures seeking to enshrine abortion rights into state constitutions are certified for November ballots in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Nevada, New York, ...