Missouri abortion-rights amendment at risk of removal from ballot following ruling

A Missouri judge ruled that an abortion-rights campaign did not meet legal requirements to qualify for the November ballot, potentially hindering efforts to undo the state’s near-total abortion ban. The campaign, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, will appeal the decision in hopes of allowing Missourians to vote on protecting reproductive freedom. The judge cited that the campaign did not adequately inform voters that the measure would undo the state’s abortion ban. Other states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, and New York, have similar measures on their ballots this fall. Abortion-rights supporters have prevailed in states with abortion questions on the ballot since 2022. Opponents of the Missouri amendment argued that voters may not have signed the petition if they had known all the laws that could be repealed. The amendment would guarantee the right to abortion and other reproductive health decisions if adopted. The ban on most abortions in Missouri after the overturn of Roe v. Wade led to the campaign to legalize abortion in response. While women receiving abortions are protected from criminal liability in Missouri, anyone performing an abortion outside limited exceptions faces felony charges. The proposed amendment by Missourians for Constitutional Freedom would ensure individuals’ right to have an abortion.

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