Abortion rights initiative will appear on Missouri's November ballot
An amendment that would enshrine abortion access in Missouri's constitution will appear on the state's general election ballot, the Missouri secretary of state's office announced.
An amendment that would enshrine abortion access in Missouri's constitution will appear on the state's general election ballot, Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's office announced Tuesday.
Ashcroft, a Republican, deemed that the petitions to qualify the initiative for the ballot had the sufficient number of signatures. He also approved other initiatives for the November ballot, including one on minimum wage and earned paid sick time, as well as one on sports wagering.
If approved, the initiative would amend the state's constitution to establish a right to make decisions about reproductive health care, remove the state's current restrictions on abortion, allow the regulation of reproductive health care to improve a patient's health, and require the government not to discriminate against people providing or seeking reproductive health care.
The ballot would also protect abortion rights up until fetal viability, around the 24th week of pregnancy, except to protect the life or health of the mother.
The group that spearheaded the ballot measure, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, had submitted the required number of signatures to officials in early May. The group celebrated the development Tuesday in a post on X, saying that it turned in 380,000 signatures.
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