By Dr. Kay Park, President, League of Women Voters of Missouri

Proponents of abortion rights filed a lawsuit in July against the ballot language filed by MO Secretary of State Denny Hoskins on an amendment banning abortion as intentionally deceptive. A Cole County judge agreed and ordered him to rewrite it. The new ballot language was approved by the judge but still failed to make it clear that it was repealing the voter-approved Amendment
allowing abortion .

An appeal by Anna Fitz-James was filed opposing the approved ballot language for Amendment 3 since it was still deceptive. LWVMO filed an Amicus Brief in support of the lawsuit, using its position on fair ballot language.

The December 3 trial was in the Western District Court of Appeals. The judges rejected the ballot language and did not send it back to the SOS for the third time. They rewrote the ballot summary as follows:

Shall the Missouri Constitution be amended to:

⦁ Repeal the 2024 voter-approved Amendment providing reproductive healthcare rights, including abortion through fetal viability;
⦁ Allow abortions for rape and incest (under twelve-weeks’ gestation), emergencies, and fetal anomalies;
⦁ Ensure parental consent for minors’ abortions;
⦁ Prohibit gender transition procedures for minors?

We expect this will most likely go to the MO Supreme Court.