Missouri Supreme Court rules abortion amendment to stay on November ballot

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that an abortion-rights amendment, Amendment 3, will stay on the ballot in the November election.

"By a majority vote of this Court, the circuit court's judgment is reversed," the Missouri Supreme Court said. "Respondent John R. Ashcroft shall certify to local election authorities that Amendment 3 be placed on the November 5, 2024, general election ballot and shall take all steps necessary to ensure that it is on said ballot."

On Tuesday morning, abortion-rights activists from across the state arrived in Jefferson City to appeal the removal of a "Reproductive Freedom" amendment on ballots in the upcoming general election. It would provide constitutional protection for abortion throughout Missouri.

According to the Associated Press, "The amendment is part of a national push to have voters weigh in on abortion since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022. Missouri banned almost all abortions immediately after."

The Missouri Supreme Court ruling comes only a few days after a county circuit judge and Republican Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft stated that the campaign did not meet legal requirements and called for its removal from November ballots.

Specifically, on Friday, Sept. 6, Cole County Circuit Judge Christopher Limbaugh said, "Missourians for Constitutional Freedom did not do enough during the signature-gathering process to inform voters that the measure would undo the state’s near-total abortion ban."

Ashcroft sided with Limbaugh, "decertifying" Amendment 3's petition, which had gathered 380,000 signatures. According to Ashcroft, the petition was misleading and did not accurately state which laws would be repealed if passed. It now does not appear on his office's website.

On Monday night, attorneys supporting Amendment 3 filed a motion for Ashcroft to be held in contempt and ordered him to recertify the amendment. Ashcroft’s office had no comment.

Although his claim came at a critical time in the controversial debate, the AP said Ashcroft's statement was "largely symbolic," and the decision was ultimately up to the Missouri Supreme Court.

After the petition was challenged, advocates for the abortion rights amendment were given three full days to file a last-minute appeal before the Tuesday deadline. At 8:30 a.m. they made their argument, and within a few hours, the Missouri Supreme Court chose to reverse the circuit court's decision.