Latest news with #Amendment3
Yahoo
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Missouri ballot measure would ban abortions. But the question doesn't say that
Reality Check is a Star series holding those with power to account and shining a light on their decisions. Have a suggestion for a future story? Email our journalists at RealityCheck@ Have the latest Reality Checks delivered to your inbox with our free newsletter. When Missouri voters head to the ballot box next year, they will decide whether to reimpose an abortion ban and strike down last year's historic vote that enshrined a right to the procedure in the state constitution But the question that voters will see, called Amendment 3, makes no mention of banning abortion or the fact that it would strike down last November's vote. Critics who spoke with The Star, as well as a lawsuit that seeks to block the measure from the ballot, argue the language is misleading and written in a way to entice voters. Republicans, who control both chambers of the General Assembly, placed the measure on the ballot as abortion rights remain popular — even in conservative states such as Missouri. 'I don't know why, unless you're trying to confuse people, you write it this way,' said Mary Ziegler, a law professor at the University of California-Davis who closely follows legal fights over abortion access. 'I think, from the standpoint of a lot of Republican lawmakers, protecting the unborn is more important than being honest with voters.' Supporters of the measure, including abortion opponents and Republican lawmakers, push back on the idea that the amendment is an abortion ban. They point to the rare instances where abortions would be allowed under the legislation, framing it as a compromise that's more palatable to voters. 'It's a good compromise for the voters and so there's no need (for the ballot language) to suggest that it does ban abortions, or all abortions, because it doesn't,' said Sam Lee, a longtime anti-abortion lobbyist in Jefferson City. But the proposed constitutional amendment, which will appear on the Nov. 3, 2026, ballot, would strike down last November's vote that legalized abortion in the state and overturned a previous ban on the procedure. The measure would only allow abortions in rare case of medical emergencies, fetal anomalies and rape or incest within 12 weeks of gestational age. Abortion rights advocates and providers argue that the language would effectively ban nearly all abortions in the state. For example, a 2019 fiscal note compiled by Missouri legislative staff prior to the state's 2022 abortion ban said Missouri Medicaid dollars paid for only two abortions to save the life of a mother in fiscal year 2018. The document says that, between fiscal years 2016 and 2017, the state paid for only two abortions that resulted from rape and incest. A 2005 study by the Guttmacher Institute, a research organization that supports abortion rights, also found that nationally 1% of women surveyed in 2004 who had an abortion cited rape in their decision; less than 0.5% cited incest. 'Amendment 3…is a copy and paste bill from special interest groups that will abolish our constitutional right to reproductive freedom, including access to abortion care,' Tori Schafer, the ACLU's director of policy and campaigns, said in a statement announcing the lawsuit against the measure. While the amendment is silent on when exactly abortion would be banned, it completely removes and replaces the language of the November amendment, which was also called Amendment 3. Therefore, it will likely be up to the courts to decide whether the proposed amendment, if passed, would reinstate Missouri's previous abortion ban with the added exceptions or give lawmakers the ability to pass additional legislation to restrict access. In addition to the abortion ban, the constitutional amendment would ban gender-affirming care for transgender residents under the age of 18. Those procedures, which include hormone therapy, are already banned under state law but became a rallying cry among abortion opponents who falsely claimed that Amendment 3 opened the door to legalizing them. Despite the fact that the proposed amendment would ban abortion access in most circumstances, the language that voters will see at the ballot makes no mention of those instances. The language, called a summary statement, was approved by state lawmakers and certified by Republican Secretary of State Denny Hoskins. It states: 'Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to: Guarantee access to care for medical emergencies, ectopic pregnancies, and miscarriages; Ensure women's safety during abortions; Ensure parental consent for minors; Allow abortions for medical emergencies, fetal anomalies, rape, and incest; Require physicians to provide medically accurate information; and Protect children from gender transition?' As the lawsuit from the ACLU of Missouri that seeks to strike the ballot measure winds its way through the courts, it's clear that abortion rights supporters and opponents are poised to promote sharply different messages about what the amendment will actually do. Opponents, such as Lee and Republican lawmakers, will claim the measure does not ban all abortions and highlight the rare circumstances in which abortions would be allowed under the amendment. Meanwhile, abortion rights advocates and providers will point to the fact that the amendment would severely restrict access and overturn an abortion rights amendment that nearly 52% of voters approved last year. That messaging could mirror arguments made in the wake of last year's vote. While pushing for the new ban, abortion opponents regularly argued in the state Capitol that Missourians didn't understand what they were voting on when they approved the measure. They claimed the measure would lead to unrestricted and unregulated abortions. But months after the vote, abortion providers are still fighting state officials in court to restore complete access, including medication abortions. Access was also temporarily halted until last week after a procedural ruling from the state Supreme Court in late May. 'I think you'll see both sides spin it,' said Ziegler, the law professor. 'Republicans are going to say, you know, if they're really leaning into the confusion, don't you want to have access in these scenarios?' On the other side, Ziegler said, 'I could see, you know, abortion rights supporters saying, you know, Republicans are really disrespecting the will of voters. They're throwing everything at the wall to get an abortion ban that you just rejected.'
Miami Herald
04-07-2025
- Health
- Miami Herald
Abortions can resume in Kansas City after Missouri ruling, Planned Parenthood says
Abortion services are poised to resume in Kansas City and across Missouri after a Jackson County judge on Thursday blocked a series of restrictions that temporarily banned access. Jackson County Circuit Court Judge Jerri Zhang, in an order issued late Thursday afternoon, halted requirements that abortion providers must obtain state licenses, among other restrictions. The licenses included rules that providers called unethical, including mandatory pelvic exams for women. The order marks a key moment for abortion rights supporters, effectively restoring access after a procedural ruling from the Missouri Supreme Court temporarily banned the procedure in late May. Planned Parenthood's clinic in Kansas City immediately planned to restore access on Monday, the organization confirmed to The Star. 'Abortion is legal again in Missouri because voters demanded it and we fought for it,' Emily Wales, the president and CEO of Comprehensive Health of Planned Parenthood Great Plains, said in a statement. 'Care starts again on Monday in Kansas City. We're not stopping until every Missourian can get the care they need, close to home.' Thursday's ruling came roughly a month after the state Supreme Court ordered Zhang to vacate two preliminary injunctions that had allowed abortions to resume in the state. The Supreme Court order temporarily halted all abortions in what providers called a 'de facto ban.' The court had ordered Zhang to reevaluate her rulings based on a different legal standard. After a series of legal fights between abortion providers and attorneys for the state of Missouri, Zhang's order on Thursday blocked the same restrictions and effectively restored access. Zhang's order on Thursday was mixed and did not block all restrictions sought by abortion providers, including a ban on medication abortions. But the ruling halted enough of the regulations for Planned Parenthood to begin offering procedural abortions again. The order states the regulations should be blocked after voters in November approved an abortion rights amendment, called Amendment 3, that enshrined reproductive rights in the state constitution. The restrictions, often called TRAP laws or Targeted Restrictions on Abortion Providers, included a 72-hour waiting period before receiving an abortion and clinic licensing rules. The regulations effectively caused the number of abortions in Missouri to drop from 6,163 in 2010 to 150 in 2021 before the state's former ban was enacted in 2022. Abortion rights supporters quickly celebrated the ruling as a victory in the fight for restored access. 'Missourians voted to end the abortion ban and establish the right to reproductive freedom in the constitution, and today, a Missouri court once again ruled to uphold the will of the people,' said Mallory Schwarz, the executive director of Abortion Action Missouri. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, a Republican who fought against restored access, said in a statement that would he would immediately appeal the decision. 'I will always fight to make Missouri the safest state in the nation for women and children,' Bailey said. While Thursday's ruling marked a win for abortion rights supporters, it also comes as a new fight at the ballot box looms. Republican lawmakers in May voted to put a new abortion ban on the 2026 statewide ballot. If approved by voters, the proposed constitutional amendment, which will also be called Amendment 3, would strike down the November vote that legalized access and ban nearly all abortions in the state. Schwarz nodded at the upcoming ballot fight in a statement on Thursday, saying, 'attacking Missourians' freedom will always be a losing strategy.' 'We will defeat abortion bans as many times as we have to, and we know that the majority of Missourians are with us,' Schwarz said.
Yahoo
03-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
ACLU sues Missouri over language in proposal to reinstate abortion ban
COLE COUNTY, Mo. – The ACLU of Missouri has filed a lawsuit against Missouri Secretary Denny Hoskins, challenging the ballot language of House Joint Resolution 73, a proposal that could reinstate abortion bans in most cases across the state. Last November, Missouri voters approved Amendment 3 to enshrine abortion protections in the state constitution. HJR 73, which recently cleared the state legislature, would repeal those protections and allow for the reinstatement of significant abortion restrictions to be reinstated, if approved by voters in a future election. The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in the Cole County Circuit Court, alleges that ballot language that Hoskins has certified is 'intentionally misleading and inaccurate.' THE ACLU says HJR 73 could appear on a future ballot as Amendment 3, the same name as the measure that established abortion protections in Missouri last year. Because of that, the group argues, the newly-proposed measure would eliminate those protections and mislead voters about its effects. Bank robbery suspect arrested in suburban home neighbors say they warned about As a result, the ACLU is asking the courts to declare the proposal's summary and fair ballot language as 'unfair and insufficient,' and either require a revised version or block the measure from reaching the ballot entirely. 'Less than six months after we voted to end Missouri's abortion ban and protect reproductive freedom, politicians chose to ignore the will of the people so they can reinstate their ban on abortion,' said Tori Schafer, Director of Policy and Campaigns at the ACLU of Missouri via a news release. 'Amendment 3, passed as HJR 73, is a copy and paste bill from special interest groups that will abolish our constitutional right to reproductive freedom, including access to abortion care.' FOX 2 has reached out to the Missouri Secretary of State's Office for comment. Our requests for comment have not been returned as of this story's publication. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The future of the initiative petition process and how it might affect Missouri democracy
ST. JOSEPH, MO (News-Press NOW)— Protect Missouri Voters, a non-partisan organization, is pushing back on legislative efforts to impose more restrictions on the state's initiative petition process. It began around the first of 2025," said Nancy Zeliff, a volunteer. "We currently have over 6,700 volunteers statewide, and we have around 1,900 individuals ready to collect signatures on our citizen-driven petition." The organization is currently working on three key initiatives: * Banning the state legislature and politicians in Jefferson City from overturning the will of Missouri voters. * Prohibiting "ballot candy," a term used for misleading language in ballot initiatives. * Preserving the current initiative petition process "There's a law that was passed and signed by our governor in April of this year, and it was SB 22," Zeliff said. "Its nickname is called 'Let Politicians Lie', because what's important for the Missouri voters is to have accurate ballot language on our ballots when we vote traditionally in a November election, because that's what the voters read and understand." Two issues that have sparked concern for the group include Amendment 3 and Proposition A. Before the Missouri Supreme Court verified that abortion would appear on the November ballot, campaigns had to collect signatures from 8% of voters in six of Missouri's eight congressional districts. In September 2024, in a 4-3 ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court allowed Amendment 3, known as the "Right to Reproductive Freedom initiative, to remain on the November 2024 ballot. The majority opinion stated that requiring ballot initiatives to list every statute that might be repealed or affected would be overly burdensome and make constitutional amendments unworkable. In October 2024, the Court reaffirmed its decision, ruling the abortion amendment met constitutional form requirements. It also determined that petition sponsors were not legally obligated to list every potentially affected law. Now, SB 22, signed by Governor Mike Kehoe in April 2025, extends the word limit of ballot summaries, expands the Attorney General's authority and gives the state legislature more control over ballot language. 'If the Attorney General's office or the legislature are the ones writing the ballot language, and not the initiator of the petition, we fear what we call 'ballot candy', misleading language,' Zeliff added. News-Press NOW will continue to update this story.
Yahoo
21-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
The future of the initiative petition process and how it might affect Missouri democracy
ST. JOSEPH, MO (News-Press NOW)— Protect Missouri Voters, a non-partisan organization, is pushing back on legislative efforts to impose more restrictions on the state's initiative petition process. It began around the first of 2025," said Nancy Zeliff, a volunteer. "We currently have over 6,700 volunteers statewide, and we have around 1,900 individuals ready to collect signatures on our citizen-driven petition." The organization is currently working on three key initiatives: * Banning the state legislature and politicians in Jefferson City from overturning the will of Missouri voters. * Prohibiting "ballot candy," a term used for misleading language in ballot initiatives. * Preserving the current initiative petition process "There's a law that was passed and signed by our governor in April of this year, and it was SB 22," Zeliff said. "Its nickname is called 'Let Politicians Lie', because what's important for the Missouri voters is to have accurate ballot language on our ballots when we vote traditionally in a November election, because that's what the voters read and understand." Two issues that have sparked concern for the group include Amendment 3 and Proposition A. Before the Missouri Supreme Court verified that abortion would appear on the November ballot, campaigns had to collect signatures from 8% of voters in six of Missouri's eight congressional districts. In September 2024, in a 4-3 ruling, the Missouri Supreme Court allowed Amendment 3, known as the "Right to Reproductive Freedom initiative, to remain on the November 2024 ballot. The majority opinion stated that requiring ballot initiatives to list every statute that might be repealed or affected would be overly burdensome and make constitutional amendments unworkable. In October 2024, the Court reaffirmed its decision, ruling the abortion amendment met constitutional form requirements. It also determined that petition sponsors were not legally obligated to list every potentially affected law. Now, SB 22, signed by Governor Mike Kehoe in April 2025, extends the word limit of ballot summaries, expands the Attorney General's authority and gives the state legislature more control over ballot language. 'If the Attorney General's office or the legislature are the ones writing the ballot language, and not the initiator of the petition, we fear what we call 'ballot candy', misleading language,' Zeliff added. News-Press NOW will continue to update this story.
