Latest news with #ACLUofMissouri
Washington Post
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Missouri voters to be asked to undo abortion protections passed last year
The Missouri Senate approved a proposal late Wednesday that will place a restrictive abortion referendum on the ballot likely next year, imperiling state constitutional protections for the procedure passed just six months ago. The 2024 citizen-led measure, which survived a lengthy court battle, enshrined in the state constitution 'the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care' up until fetal viability, about 24 weeks. Missouri state law had allowed abortions only to save a woman's life, with no exceptions for rape and incest. Republican legislators now want to reverse that outcome and are asking Missourians to vote on a new constitutional amendment that would repeal Amendment 3 and ban most abortions after 12 weeks — with exceptions for medical emergencies, rape and incest. Abortion proponents crowded the Senate chamber in the state capital in Jefferson City, shouting 'stop the ban' as the lawmakers voted 21-11 to approve the referendum measure in the final week of their session. 'Missourians proved by passing Amendment 3 at the ballot box [that] people want access to abortion care,' the ACLU of Missouri said in a statement. 'They are literally rewriting the rules … in an attempt to reinstate Missouri's total abortion ban.' Rep. Ashley Aune, a Democrat from Platte County, posted on X during the debate, 'Missouri, the fight to MAINTAIN our bodily autonomy is on.' Republican lawmakers have repeatedly cast last year's ballot victory for abortion access as voter backlash between two extreme choices — one a complete ban with no exceptions for rape and incest, another that allows the procedure up until fetal viability. An abortion ban with exceptions for rape and incest would be more palatable to voters, they've argued. Rep. Brian Seitz, a Baptist pastor from Branson who led the effort in the House, has said Missourians deserve better options 'that are more in line with their values.' 'Voters in the past few years were given the choice between two extremes, choices with no middle ground,' Seitz said recently. 'Zero abortions, or what we have now, a landscape that allows for unfettered access.' House Speaker Jon Patterson, a doctor from the Kansas City area, was the only Republican to oppose a second referendum as that chamber took final action several weeks ago. Surgical abortions have resumed at Missouri's Planned Parenthood clinics in Kansas City, Columbia and St. Louis. But providers are still battling the state in court over medication abortions, which today is the more common method for terminating pregnancies. The referendum that will likely go before voters next year also prohibits public funds from being used to pay for certain abortions; prohibits the use of surgeries, hormones or drugs to assist a child with gender transition; and requires parental consent prior to an abortion for minors. Since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned a constitutional right to abortion in 2022, 19 states have passed measures to ban or restrict the procedure and voters in more than a dozen states have passed abortion-related ballot protections, according to Paula M. Lantz, a health policy professor at the University of Michigan. Yet the era of ballot initiatives to safeguard abortion rights may have peaked last year, according to Lantz. Most states that still have restrictive abortion laws don't give citizens the power to put constitutional questions before voters, she said. Legislators have far more leeway. 'As we are seeing in Missouri, legislators are now countering with a new restrictive amendment for voters to consider,' Lantz said. 'If legislators are intent upon passing severely restrictive abortion laws, they can engage in ongoing constitutional amendment battles at the voting booth. It is much easier for legislators to get a ballot initiative in front of voters than citizens who must go through layered administrative processes and secure thousands of signatures.'
Yahoo
25-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Reproductive health care advocates concerned about Senate Bill 22
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — On Thursday, Missouri Governor Mike Kehoe signed Senate Bill 22, giving the government more control over ballot language. Some argue that this will clear a path for state officials to restrict access to abortion and reproductive health care across the state. So, what exactly is Senate Bill 22? Let's start with the basics. Ballot language is the wording that appears on a ballot; it's what voters read when they're deciding how to vote on a particular issue. ICE detains mother at citizenship appointment in Kansas City, family says Senate Bill 22 says if the court finds a ballot's summary statement to be insufficient or unfair, it can order the Missouri Secretary of State to rewrite it, up to three times. If the court still finds it to be unfair after the three revisions, the court gets to write the summary statement itself and order it to appear on the ballot. The bill also expands the Missouri Attorney General's ability to appeal preliminary injunctions on laws that violate the Constitution. It does not allow for any other party to appeal the granting or denial of a preliminary injunction. Attorney General Andrew Bailey filed a notice of appeal on Thursday after the bill was signed by the governor, seeking to reverse the preliminary injunctions currently blocking Missouri's total abortion ban. The ACLU of Missouri, Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, and Planned Parenthood Great Rivers on Thursday issued the following statement: 'A majority of Missouri voters passed Amendment 3 to end Missouri's abortion ban and protect reproductive freedom. Rather than following the will of the people, the same anti-abortion politicians that fought against Amendment 3 and lost at the ballot box have changed the rules of both the initiative petition and the court procedures so they can try to reinstate Missouri's abortion ban. Patients deserve more access to health care, not less. We will fight these attacks on our fundamental rights to ensure all Missourians continue to have access to abortion and the reproductive care they need.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
