Voters in Missouri cleared the way to undo one of the nation's most restrictive abortion bans, while Florida defeated a similar constitutional amendment, leaving in place a law barring most abortions after the first six weeks of pregnancy.

Despite millions of dollars poured into ads and other voter outreach, a proposed constitutional amendment that would have protected abortion access in Florida failed Tuesday. Amendment 4, backed by a coalition of groups supporting abortion access,

The vote faced a 60% threshold, and the failure leaves abortion banned across most of the South beyond six weeks of pregnancy — when many still don't realize they're pregnant.

The measure proposed enshrining the right to abortion care in the state, which would overturn state-level bans on abortion at 14- and six-weeks of pregnancy, and land a major victory for abortion rights advocates two years after the Supreme Court struck down Roe v Wade.

Florida’s abortion-rights ballot initiative fell short of passing on Tuesday, leaving in place a six-week abortion ban that has helped restrict access across almost all of the Southern U.S. The measure’s defeat is a significant victory for Gov.