Citizens vote to lift Missouri ban on abortion
By Jazmine Knight
Missouri voters enshrined abortion rights in the state constitution Tuesday, a result that is expected to undo a near-total ban on the procedure.
Amendment 3, also known as “The Rights to Reproductive Freedom Initiative,” passed statewide with about 53% of voters choosing to approve it.
In Buchanan County, the results were much tighter, with the measure winning by just about 270 votes, 50.4% for “yes” and 49.6% choosing “no.”
The “yes” vote enshrines peoples’ “constitutional right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraceptives,” according to the Missouri Secretary of State’s website.
“Today, Missourians made history and sent a clear message: decisions around pregnancy, including abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care are personal and private and should be left up to patients and their families, not politicians,” Missourians for Constitutional Freedom campaign director Rachel Sweet said in a statement.
Members of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America “mourn the lives that will be lost,” the organization’s state affairs director, Sue Liebel, said in a statement.
Since the Supreme Court struck down the Roe v. Wade ruling, Missouri law has allowed 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 will need to sue to overturn the ban.
The measure allows the state legislature to enact restrictions or bans on abortion after viability. That term is controversial because there’s no defined time frame, but many doctors say it is sometime after the 21st week of pregnancy.
The amendment also authorizes the government to allow funding for programs or activities for health care providers or individuals obtaining reproductive services.
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.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
