Current:Home > StocksMissouri voters to decide whether to legalize abortion in a state with a near-total ban -AssetScope
Missouri voters to decide whether to legalize abortion in a state with a near-total ban
Surpassing Quant Think Tank Center View
Date:2025-04-07 10:09:36
Follow live: Updates from AP’s coverage of the presidential election.
JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri voters will decide Tuesday whether to enshrine abortion rights in the state constitution and undo a near-total ban on the procedure.
The measure would guarantee people’s right to make decisions about their reproductive health, such as whether to get an abortion, take birth control or get in vitro fertilization.
Voters in eight other states are determining whether to add the right to abortion to their state constitutions.
Missouri currently allows abortions only in cases of medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.
The amendment does not explicitly undo the law, meaning abortion-rights advocates would need to sue to overturn the ban if voters adopt the amendment.
If enacted, the measure would allow the state legislature to enact restrictions or bans on abortion after viability — a sticking point for some abortion-rights supporters. The term “viability” is used by health care providers to describe whether a pregnancy is expected to continue developing normally or whether a fetus might survive outside the uterus. Though there’s no defined time frame, doctors say it is sometime after the 21st week of pregnancy.
Advocates had worried that failing to include such limits would sink their chances of passing abortion protections. But others cautioned against giving the state’s Republican-controlled Legislature the power to enact regulations that could effectively end access to the measure.
The campaign, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, ultimately made room for restrictions to late-term abortions in the Missouri amendment.
Just getting on Missouri’s ballot was an uphill battle. The Republican attorney general and auditor fought publicly over the estimated cost of the amendment.
Attorney General Andrew Bailey argued the amendment would cost $51 billion in lost tax revenue because allowing abortions could mean fewer residents. The auditor and judges disagreed, instead setting the cost estimate closer to $51,000.
And a Missouri appeals court last year ruled against Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft’s summaries of the ballot measures, which described proposed amendments as allowing “dangerous and unregulated abortions until live birth.” Judges ruled Ashcroft’s language was politically partisan.
Republicans nationwide have been trying for years to raise the bar for voter-referred constitutional amendments to be put on the ballot, as well as raise the threshold for those amendments to be enacted.
GOP infighting and a record-breaking, 50-hour Democratic filibuster in May killed the latest Republican push to make amending Missouri’s constitution harder, an effort that in part had been aimed at thwarting an upcoming ballot measure on abortion-rights.
Missouri requires a simple majority to pass constitutional amendments.
The latest challenge to the amendment was raised by abortion opponents and Republican state lawmakers who argued that voters were not informed about the list of abortion laws it could repeal. The Missouri Supreme Court disagreed, requiring Ashcroft to place the measure on the ballot.
Other measures on Missouri’s ballot include measures to legalize sports betting; allow a casino at the Lake of the Ozarks; raise the minimum wage gradually from $13.75 to $15 an hour and require paid sick leave; and to prohibit ranked choice voting.
veryGood! (51)
Related
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- Biden to announce new student loan forgiveness proposals
- 'Quiet on Set' new episode: Former 'All That' actor Shane Lyons says Brian Peck made 'passes' at him
- National Beer Day 2024: Buffalo Wild Wings, Taco Bell Cantina among spots with deals
- Residents worried after ceiling cracks appear following reroofing works at Jalan Tenaga HDB blocks
- Boy trapped and killed after a truck crashes into river in Colorado, sheriff says
- An engine cover on a Southwest Airlines plane rips off, forcing the flight to return to Denver
- When was the last total solar eclipse in the U.S.? Revisiting 2017 in maps and photos
- 'Kraven the Hunter' spoilers! Let's dig into that twisty ending, supervillain reveal
- Michelle Troconis, convicted of conspiracy in Jennifer Dulos murder, was fooled by boyfriend, says sister
Ranking
- Who are the most valuable sports franchises? Forbes releases new list of top 50 teams
- Key Bridge cleanup crews begin removing containers from Dali cargo ship
- Biden to announce new student loan forgiveness proposals
- South Carolina joins elite company. These teams went undefeated, won national title
- Brianna LaPaglia Reveals The Meaning Behind Her "Chickenfry" Nickname
- 'Quiet on Set' new episode: Former 'All That' actor Shane Lyons says Brian Peck made 'passes' at him
- Foster children deprived of benefits: How a loophole affects the most vulnerable
- Jonathan Majors faces sentencing for assault conviction that derailed Marvel star’s career
Recommendation
Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
'A cosmic masterpiece': Why spectacular sights of solar eclipses never fail to dazzle
Are your eclipse glasses safe? How to know if they'll really protect your eyes during the total solar eclipse
A child is dead and 2 adults are hospitalized in a car crash with a semitruck in Idaho, police say
Taylor Swift makes surprise visit to Kansas City children’s hospital
Maryland lawmakers enter last day working on aid to port employees after Baltimore bridge collapse
Biden to announce new student loan forgiveness proposals
National Beer Day 2024: Buffalo Wild Wings, Taco Bell Cantina among spots with deals