Missouri’s Supreme Court has ruled that the state’s Right to Reproductive Freedom, the ballot initiative to enshrine abortion rights, will be on the state’s ballot in November.On Tuesday, the Missouri Supreme Court ruled hours before a key deadline that the initiative will remain on the state’s ballot and ordered Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft to put the measure back on the ballot.Ashcroft previously moved to have the measure removed from the ballot on Monday following a county circuit judge’s decision on Friday that ruled Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, the abortion-rights campaign, did not meet legal requirements to qualify.However, Ashcroft, an outspoken abortion opponent, has now been directed to “take all steps necessary” to reinstate the proposal for the upcoming vote due to Tuesday’s ruling.If approved by a majority of voters in November, the amendment would reverse Missouri’s near-total abortion ban policy. Following the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, Missouri outlawed abortions except in cases of medical emergencies. With abortion criminalized, penalties in the state ranged from five to 15 years in prison for those performing the procedure.According to the ballot initiative, it would secure the right to abortion up until the point of fetal viability, typically around 23 to 24 weeks of pregnancy. The measure also includes provisions for abortions beyond this period if deemed necessary by a healthcare professional to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant woman.Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, a coalition aimed at ending the state’s abortion ban, praised the ruling, stating it is “a victory for both direct democracy and reproductive freedom in Missouri,” adding that the decision gives “voters—not politicians—the power to decide on this critical issue.””Missourians overwhelmingly support reproductive rights, including access to abortion, birth control and miscarriage care. Now, they will have the chance to enshrine these protections in the Missouri Constitution on November 5,” Rachel Sweet, campaign manager for Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, said in a press release emailed to Newsweek.Sweet continued, “As we approach Election Day, we will continue working tirelessly to ensure every Missourian understands that a ‘YES’ vote on Amendment 3 will end the state’s total abortion ban and restore the right to make personal reproductive health decisions, returning that power where it belongs—with women and their families.”Tuesday’s ruling came after Ashcroft officially verified that the amendment put forth by the Missourians for Constitutional Freedom submitted more than enough signatures from registered voters to put the initiative on the ballot in August.In response to Tuesday’s ruling, Mary Catherine Martin, a lawyer for Thomas More Society—a group of GOP lawmakers and abortion opponents suing to remove the amendment—condemned the ruling.”The Missouri Supreme Court’s decision to allow Amendment 3 to remain on the November ballot is a failure to protect voters, by not upholding state laws that ensure voters are fully informed going into the ballot box. It is deeply unfortunate the court decided to ignore laws that protect voters in order to satisfy pro-abortion activists who intentionally omitted critical information from the initiative petition. This ruling takes away important protections from all Missouri citizens to serve the well-funded political goals of a few,” Martin said in a press release emailed to Newsweek.Meanwhile, abortion has been a key issue for both the Republican and Democratic campaigns as former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, who began her White House bid after President Joe Biden stepped down from the race in July, are expected to face off in November.Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, many Republican-controlled states have put abortion restrictions into effect with 21 states banning or restricting the medical practice at every stage of pregnancy.However, most Democratic states have laws or executive orders in place to protect access. Voters in California, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Montana, Ohio, Vermont and Arizona have taken steps to adopt similar ballot measures, hoping to put the abortion issue directly before voters.
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