Missouri‘s Supreme Court has ruled that a proposed abortion rights amendment to the state constitution will appear on the November ballot, just hours before the ballots were finalized.
The decision allows Missouri voters to decide whether to restore legal abortion for the first time in more than two years since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.Every ballot measure that has sought to preserve or expand abortion access has passed in both red and blue states alike, while measures aimed at restricting access have failed, including in conservative Kansas.
This ruling came after Cole County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Limbaugh sided with abortion opponents and several Republican lawmakers who sought to remove the measure from the ballot.
Several other states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, and South Dakota, are also considering constitutional amendments to protect abortion rights. The outcomes of these votes could potentially influence presidential elections in swing states, control of Congress, and closely contested state offices. Missouri Democrats hope the amendment will boost voter turnout among abortion-rights supporters in the November election.
Mary Catherine Martin, a lawyer for the Thomas More Society, the group that filed the lawsuit opposing the measure, told judges on Tuesday that the wording of Amendment 3 would “absolutely mislead” voters.
“The average voter reading this would have no way of knowing that it has a limiting effect” on the state legislature’s ability to regulate abortion, Martin said, according to the Washington Post.
Under state law, the ballot measure needs support from at least 50% of voters to pass. According to a St. Louis University/YouGov poll in August, the measure has received support from 52% of voters.
The decision allows Missouri voters to decide whether to restore legal abortion for the first time in more than two years since the US Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022.Every ballot measure that has sought to preserve or expand abortion access has passed in both red and blue states alike, while measures aimed at restricting access have failed, including in conservative Kansas.
This ruling came after Cole County Circuit Court Judge Christopher Limbaugh sided with abortion opponents and several Republican lawmakers who sought to remove the measure from the ballot.
Several other states, including Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, and South Dakota, are also considering constitutional amendments to protect abortion rights. The outcomes of these votes could potentially influence presidential elections in swing states, control of Congress, and closely contested state offices. Missouri Democrats hope the amendment will boost voter turnout among abortion-rights supporters in the November election.
Mary Catherine Martin, a lawyer for the Thomas More Society, the group that filed the lawsuit opposing the measure, told judges on Tuesday that the wording of Amendment 3 would “absolutely mislead” voters.
“The average voter reading this would have no way of knowing that it has a limiting effect” on the state legislature’s ability to regulate abortion, Martin said, according to the Washington Post.
Under state law, the ballot measure needs support from at least 50% of voters to pass. According to a St. Louis University/YouGov poll in August, the measure has received support from 52% of voters.
