Missouri pro-abortion group pushing ‘extreme’ constitutional amendment turns in signatures, awaits verification

An amendment to enshrine ‘abortion rights’ into the Missouri Constitution could appear on the ballot if enough signatures gathered by the pro-abortion activists are verified.

Proposed constitutional amendments require signatures from 8% of 2020 gubernatorial voters in six of Missouri’s eight congressional districts to qualify for the ballot, shown in the right column in the table below.

The main pro-abortion group lobbying for the amendment, Missourians for Constitutional Freedom, said it turned in over 380,000 signatures to the Secretary of State’s office by the May 5 deadline. The total matters very little, however, as the distribution of the signatures determines the success or failure of the petition.

The signatures are now waiting to be verified by county clerks, and then reviewed by the Secretary of State’s office. 

The amendment would guarantee the right to an abortion, even after “fetal viability.” If passed, Missouri’s abortion ban would be reversed. 

After Roe v. Wade was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2022, Missouri became the first state to enact an abortion ban. The law prohibits all abortions with an exception for medical emergencies or cases where the life of the mother is at stake. 

The pro-abortion amendment would restrict any government prohibitions on “a person’s fundamental right to reproductive freedom,” which is defined as “the right to make and carry out decisions about all matters relating to reproductive health care, including but not limited to prenatal care, childbirth, postpartum care, birth control, abortion care, miscarriage care, and respectful birthing conditions.” 

Subsection 4 of the amendment includes exceptions after viability if a health care professional deems an abortion is “needed to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.” 

Opponents of the pro-abortion amendment say it is overly permissive and could even require pregnancy centers to refer patients for abortions. 

The Missouri Right to Life (MRL) has argued the proposal would legalize abortion “from conception to live birth,” eliminate health and safety standards for abortion clinics and force pregnancy resource centers to refer patients for abortions. 

MRL carried out a “Decline to Sign Campaign” to warn voters from signing the pro-abortion amendment. The pro-life group says it remains resolute in stopping the “Reproductive Freedom Amendment” from becoming law.  

“We have done polling, hired trusted political consultants to develop messaging, done major gifts fundraising and continue to engage more and more people to fight this battle,” the organization said in a recent press release.  

“We have developed a network of pro-life organizations from across the state as partners in this effort and this network will grow as we work together in the days ahead. 

“We thank everyone who has worked to get the truth out about the extreme pro-abortion initiative petition. We will continue to work to protect innocent babies and their moms from the lies of the abortion industry.”