Missouri abortion ballot measure qualifies for vote in November

A ballot measure in Missouri that would establish a right to make decisions about reproductive care, including abortion , will appear before voters in November, the office of Missouri's secretary of state confirmed Tuesday.

Missouri Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft confirmed that the measure had received the necessary signatures to appear on the Nov. 5 ballot. The announcement sets up the Show Me State as one of the places where voters will decide on an abortion ballot measure, two years after the Supreme Court's decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization returned lawmaking on abortion to the states.

The ballot measure would overturn the state's current abortion law, which bans the act except in medical emergencies, and instead restrict the state government from making laws on the matter but allow it to pass a law banning abortion after fetal viability with exceptions for the mother's life or physical or mental health.

Anti-abortion advocates say measures that include exceptions to allow abortion to protect the mental health of the mother open the door for little-to-no restrictions on the termination of a pregnancy.

The ballot measure in Missouri needs a simple majority to pass in November. Other states that will vote on abortion ballot measures include Arizona, Nevada, Maryland, Colorado, South Dakota, and Florida.

The Arizona abortion ballot measure was approved on Monday after Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes certified that supporters of the measure had submitted enough valid signatures.

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Abortion ballot measures since the Dobbs decision have almost entirely gone in favor of abortion rights advocates, even in heavily Republican states.

Other ballot measures that were approved to appear on the ballot by Ashcroft on Tuesday included measures to raise the minimum wage and legalize sports betting in the state. A ballot measure to allow a casino to be created at the Lake of the Ozarks was ruled to have not met the signature threshold.