Sept 10 (Askume) – The Missouri Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that a proposed abortion rights amendment to the state constitution will go on the ballot in November, giving voters the chance to decide whether to legalize abortion in Missouri for the first time in two years. What to restore.
The bill proposes a right to abortion in Missouri as long as the fetus is viable.
But responding to a lawsuit filed by anti-abortion lawmakers and advocates, a circuit court judge ruled Friday that the bill was ineligible for a vote because it did not adequately explain the consequences of its passage.
Missouri Constitutional Freedom, the group that sponsored the measure, appealed the decision over the weekend.
The Supreme Court’s Tuesday decision came just hours before the ballot printing deadline in Missouri. On Tuesday morning, the court heard arguments from representatives of the defendants, including conservative state Rep. Mary Elizabeth Coleman, and appellants, including supporters of Missouri’s constitutional freedoms.
Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft wrote in the order: “Local elections officials must certify that Amendment 3 will be placed on the ballot for the November 5, 2024 general election and take whatever measures necessary to ensure it is placed on the ballot for the November 5 general election.”
Missouri currently has a blanket ban on abortion, except in medical emergencies. A ballot proposal to ensure abortion rights until the fetus is viable, typically about 24 weeks of pregnancy, received voter support among 52 percent of Missourians in a Saint Louis University/YouGov poll conducted August 9-16. The measure needs more than 50% support to pass.
The abortion issue is currently set to appear on the ballot in nine states in November , including Missouri and several states that could play a key role in the presidential race and the battle for control of Congress.
