Voters in Albuquerque, N.M., rejected a ban on late-term abortions Tuesday in a municipal election that was being closely watched as a possible new front in the national abortion fight, NBC News reported. Voters rejected the measure 55 percent to 45 percent. A coalition of groups, including the American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico and Planned Parenthood, said the outcome was a huge victory for Albuquerque women and families. The law would have barred doctors within city limits from performing abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy — permitting only a small handful of exceptions provided for in most late-term abortion bans enacted in other pockets of the state in recent years. The "Pain Capable Unborn Child Protection Ordinance," which required a majority to pass, would have had ramifications across the state. Two of the few facilities in the rural region that perform late-term abortions are in Albuquerque. The ballot initiative was widely considered to be the first such municipal measure in the country.
