Missourians will vote on abortion rights in November after ballot measure certified

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Missouri voters will decide in November whether to overturn the state’s abortion ban, a momentous choice that could enshrine sweeping protections for ending a pregnancy into the state constitution.

Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft on Tuesday certified a ballot measure that asks voters whether to approve a constitutional amendment establishing a right to an abortion and other reproductive health care in the state.

Ashcroft, a Republican, found that the abortion rights campaign had collected enough valid signatures in six of the state’s eight congressional districts. His office did not immediately release how many signatures were considered valid. The signatures were verified by election officials across the state.

The certification kicks off what will be a grueling, and historic, sprint to November as abortion rights groups look to convince voters to strike down the state’s near-total ban on abortion. If approved on Nov. 5, Missouri would become the first state in the nation to overturn a ban.

Abortion rights supporters celebrated the announcement on Tuesday after spending roughly three months collecting signatures in every county across the state. The coalition turned in more than 380,000 signatures in May and has raised more than $7.2 million since launching the campaign.

“This is a major step forward for our campaign and for Missourians who want to end our state’s cruel abortion ban,” said Rachel Sweet, the manager of the campaign, called Missourians for Constitutional Freedom. “As we turn our attention to the November ballot, it’s clear Missourians overwhelmingly support reproductive freedom and will have the chance to make their voices heard at the ballot box.”

Sweet added that the campaign was “ready to fight so all Missourians can take back the freedom to make their own health care decisions.”

The proposed constitutional amendment would enshrine the right to an abortion in the state constitution while also giving lawmakers some leeway to regulate the procedure after fetal viability.

Under the amendment, fetal viability is defined as the point in a pregnancy when a health care professional decides, based on the facts of the situation, “there is a significant likelihood of the fetus’s sustained survival outside of the uterus without the application of extraordinary medical measures.”

Missouri became the first state in the nation to enact a ban on abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the federal right to the procedure in 2022. The ban has faced an onslaught of criticism, including from medical providers, and does not include exceptions for rape and incest.

“As a physician, I’ve seen firsthand the devastating impact this ban has had on Missouri patients, many of whom travel hours from home if they can get an appointment, while others simply cannot access care,” said Selina Sandoval, the associate medical director for Planned Parenthood Great Plains Votes.

Patients’ lives were at risk every day because of the ban, Sandoval said.

Nationwide, abortion rights remain popular. Since the fall of Roe v. Wade in 2022, every ballot measure seeking to expand abortion access, from Michigan to Ohio, has succeeded.

In Missouri, a plurality of 44% of likely voters said they supported overturning the abortion ban, according to a February poll from Saint Louis University and YouGov. However, that poll also found that 19% of respondents said they were not sure, a percentage of voters that abortion rights supporters will have to tap into.

Tuesday’s certification could kick off efforts to block the proposal from the ballot. Anti-abortion groups will also campaign to convince voters to vote no on the amendment. A series of legal battles with anti-abortion statewide officials had previously kept versions of the petitions tied up in court for months.

Missouri Stands with Women is one of the major anti-abortion groups that opposes the amendment. Stephanie Bell, a spokesperson for the group, attacked the amendment on Tuesday, claiming that it “legalizes abortion throughout any stage of the pregnancy.”

“Missourians are smart and they don’t like their freedom and safety being stolen from them, and once they learn the real truth about this amendment will vote it down,” Bell said.

Bell also claimed the amendment would prevent individuals from being able to sue doctors after losing a child due to negligence. But Tori Schafer, the director of policy and campaigns with the ACLU of Missouri, called that claim “fully false” on Tuesday.

“Our amendment is about ending the state’s abortion ban,” Schafer said. “It doesn’t impact previous malpractice laws that were in place.”

As for Bell’s argument that the amendment would legalize abortion at any stage, Schafer reiterated that the proposal would guarantee abortion access up until fetal viability “with exceptions for the health and safety of the patient.”

Sam Lee, a longtime anti-abortion lobbyist in Jefferson City, previously told The Star that if Ashcroft’s office certified the proposal for the ballot, anti-abortion groups were prepared to file a lawsuit to block it.

When asked about this on Tuesday, Schafer said she was confident any lawsuit against the proposal would be struck down.

“Just like every lawsuit, attack before, we are confident the courts will rule with us because their attacks are not based in fact or legal validity. It is strictly political,” she said. “We are confident Missouri courts will strike down those attacks.”

The abortion rights measure will also appear on the same ballot in which Missourians will elect a slew of statewide officials, including governor. Whoever takes the governor’s office will be in charge of shaping abortion policy in the state if the amendment passes.

Lt. Gov. Mike Kehoe, the GOP nominee for governor, vowed to push against abortion when asked last week what he would do if the amendment passes. He did not offer specifics.

“You’re going to need people who will continue to fight for innocent life and do what we can to protect innocent life and that’s what I would do,” he said.

Kehoe’s Democratic opponent for governor, House Minority Leader Crystal Quade, has largely built her campaign on expanding abortion access. Quade, during a TV debate last month, said she would ensure that the General Assembly “will listen to the voices of Missourians and what happens on Election Day will be upheld.”

“I deeply understand how important this is for folks and I am so excited that we’re going to have the opportunity in November to take the rights back that we absolutely need to have in our state,” she said.

In addition to the abortion rights measure, Missouri voters will also vote on measures to legalize sports betting and raise the minimum wage. Ashcroft’s office on Tuesday also certified those two proposals but rejected a measure to build a casino near the Lake of the Ozarks.