The Missouri Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that an amendment to restore abortion rights in the state will be on the ballot.
The proposed measure would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution, prohibiting any government interference related to the procedure.
The court issued its ruling hours before the Tuesday deadline for changes to be made to the November ballot.
State Supreme Court judges ordered Jay Ashcroft, the GOP secretary of state, to put the measure back on the ballot.
The order also directed Ashcroft, an abortion opponent, to “take all steps necessary to ensure that it is on said ballot.”
The amendment is part of a national push to have voters weigh in on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.
Eight other states are considering constitutional amendments enshrining abortion rights, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada and South Dakota.
New York also has a ballot measure that proponents say would protect abortion rights, though there’s a dispute about its impact.
Missouri Democrats, for instance, hope to get a boost from abortion-rights supporters during the November election.
In August, Arkansas’ highest court upheld a decision to keep an abortion rights initiative off the state’s November ballot, agreeing with election officials that the group behind the measure did not properly submit documentation regarding the signature gatherers it hired.
The Missouri Supreme Court decided on Tuesday that a ballot question restoring the state’s abortion rights will be included.
The proposed legislation would forbid any interference from the government in matters pertaining to abortion, enshrining the right to an abortion in the state constitution. It would repeal the state’s nearly complete abortion ban in 2022 if it passes. Hours before the Tuesday deadline for amending the November ballot, the court rendered its decision.
Jay Ashcroft, the Republican secretary of state, was ordered by state Supreme Court judges to reintroduce the proposal on the ballot. Following a decision made on Friday by a county circuit judge, he had taken it down on Monday.
Ashcroft, who opposes abortion, was also instructed to “take all necessary steps to ensure that it is on said ballot” by the order. “.”.
Not until Tuesday was the court’s complete ruling on the case made public.
The initiative that supported the measure, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, applauded the ruling.
Campaign manager Rachel Sweet issued a statement saying, “Missourians overwhelmingly support reproductive rights, including access to abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care.”. “On November 5, they will now have the opportunity to codify these protections in the Missouri Constitution. “.”.
The initiative petition “misled voters” by failing to list all the laws restricting abortion that it would effectively repeal, according to Mary Catherine Martin, an attorney for a group of GOP lawmakers and opponents of abortion who are suing to remove the amendment. Martin made this claim during hurried arguments on Tuesday before the Supreme Court.
The proposal is a part of a nationwide effort to let voters decide on abortion since the U. S. The Supreme Court reversed the Roe v. Wade in 2022. Nearly all abortions were outlawed in Missouri right away.
Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, and South Dakota are among the eight other states that are debating ratifying constitutional amendments that would guarantee the right to an abortion. Most, like the Missouri proposal, would protect the right to an abortion up until fetal viability and then permit it for the pregnant woman’s health.
There is a ballot measure in New York as well, the impact of which is up for debate, but supporters claim it would safeguard abortion rights.
Encouraging more people to cast ballots on the divisive topic could affect the outcome of closely contested state offices, the presidency in swing states, and Congress. In the November election, Missouri Democrats, for example, anticipate a boost from proponents of abortion rights.
The question of whether to let voters choose these answers, as well as the precise wording on the ballots and accompanying materials, have given rise to legal battles across the nation. The highest court in Arkansas affirmed in August the decision to remove an abortion rights initiative from the state’s ballot in November, concurring with election officials that the initiative’s supporters had failed to provide appropriate documentation about the petitioners they had hired.
