Missouri officials want 'dangerous’ abortions wording restored to summary of ballot measure

The Missouri Court of Appeals in Kansas City is weighing a pair of cases relating to a ballot initiative that would amend the Missouri Constitution to establish a right to abortion. The court is expected to rule soon.
Attorneys representing Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft argued Monday that a Cole County circuit judge overstepped his bounds when rewriting an abortion rights ballot summary.

Ashcroft is appealing a decision by Judge John Beetem finding that Ashcroft's language describing six proposed amendments was biased and unfair. The ballot language would limit the ability of the Missouri Legislature — a strongly anti-abortion body — to enact restrictions in place before abortions became illegal statewide in 2022.

The original summary described the proposed constitutional amendments as allowing “dangerous and unregulated abortions until live birth.” Last month, Beetem rewrote the summary as “establishing a right to make decisions about reproductive health care” and undoing the near-total ban on abortion.

Solicitor General Josh Divine, representing Ashcroft, argued that the Missouri Court of Appeals should restore the original wording.