Missouri voters support abortion rights in a state that has a near-total ban

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) — Missouri voters on Tuesday enshrined the right to abortion in their constitution, enabling the state to repeal one of the most restrictive abortion bans in the country.

“Tonight, by the sheer will and power of the people, Missouri will become the first state to end a total abortion ban at the ballot box,” Mallory Schwarz, executive director of Abortion Action Missouri, said in a statement.

Missouri currently only allows abortions in medical emergencies. There are no exceptions for rape or incest. The amendment guarantees people the right to make decisions about their reproductive health, such as whether to have an abortion, use contraception or undergo in vitro fertilization.

However, the amendment does not explicitly reverse the law, meaning abortion rights advocates will have to file a lawsuit to overturn the ban.

The campaign against the change, Missouri Stands with Women, vowed Tuesday to continue fighting against it.

“Pro-lifers will not sit back and watch as Big Abortion works to dismantle all health and safety measures protecting women and babies,” Stephanie Bell, spokeswoman for Missouri Stands with Women, said in a statement.

Voters in eight other states decided on Tuesday whether to include the right to abortion in their state constitutions.

The Missouri measure allows the state legislature to enact restrictions or bans on abortion based on viability – a Sticking point for some abortion rights advocates. The term “viability” is used by healthcare providers to describe whether a pregnancy is likely to proceed normally or whether a fetus could survive outside the uterus. Although there is no defined time frame, doctors say it will be sometime after that 21st week of pregnancy.

Advocates had feared that not including such limits would reduce their chances of passing abortion protections. But others warned against giving the state's Republican-controlled Legislature the power to pass regulations that could effectively end access to the measure.

The campaign ultimately made room for restrictions on late-term abortions in the Missouri Amendment.

Just getting on the ballot in Missouri was an uphill battle. The Republican attorney general and comptroller publicly argued over the estimated cost of the change.

Attorney General Andrew Bailey argued The change would cost $51 billion in tax revenue because allowing abortions could lead to fewer residents. The auditor and judge disagreed and instead put 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 ballot measures that described the proposed changes as “dangerous and unregulated abortions up to live birth.” The judges ruled that Ashcroft's language was correct politically partisan.

Republicans across the country were been trying for years to raise the bar for voting on constitutional amendments proposed by voters and to raise the threshold for passage of those amendments.

GOP fights and a record-breaking 50 hours Democratic filibuster in May killed the newest Republican They pushed to make it harder to amend Missouri's constitution, an effort aimed in part at thwarting an upcoming ballot measure on abortion rights.

Missouri requires a simple majority to pass constitutional amendments.

The latest challenge The amendment was advanced by abortion opponents and Republican lawmakers who argued that voters were uninformed about the list of abortion laws it could repeal. The Missouri Supreme Court disagreed and ordered Ashcroft to place the measure on the ballot.

Missouri voters also approved measures to ban ranked-choice voting, gradually increase the minimum wage from $13.75 to $15 an hour and require paid sick leave. They rejected a measure that would have allowed a casino at Lake of the Ozarks. A measure to legalize sports betting could not yet be announced as of Wednesday afternoon.