Abortion is legal again in Missouri. This is what people say about it

The people of Missouri have spoken: the government should not be involved in decisions about reproductive health care.

On Tuesday evening, the Associated Press predicted passage of amendment 3an amendment that would enshrine this protection of abortion rights in the state constitution.

Missouri’s abortion ban was introduced after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022. Minutes after the Supreme Court ruled: Then-Attorney General Eric Schmitt issued an opinion that activated a “trigger law.” which banned legal abortion in all situations except medical emergencies.

Although the main issue addressed by the amendment is abortion, Republican politicians, including Governor Mike Parson and U.S. Senator Josh Hawley, have argued that Amendment 3 would also allow minors to undergo gender transition surgeries without parental consent. Legal experts interviewed by the Missouri Independent have refuted these claims and said it is far-fetched.

The amendment established a constitutional right to abortion in Missouri. According to the Missouri Secretary of State, the change will take effect in 30 days – December 5, 2024.

In a concession speech Tuesday evening, state Rep. Crystal Quade, the Democratic candidate for governor of Missouri, noted early returns showing support for Amendment 3.

“We know that Amendment 3 will be passed,” she said jubilantly. “We are going to show the extremists in Jefferson City that they have gone too far.”

According to Missourians for Constitutional Rights, Missouri is the first state in the country to end a total ban on abortion by voting.

“The Show-Me State has proven to the country that reproductive decisions belong to the people, not the politicians. People from many backgrounds joined our grassroots coalition with the common goal of uniting to protect the fundamental right to reproductive freedom in our state,” Tori Schafer, director of policy and campaigns for the ACLU of Missouri, said in a news release. we have weathered the oppressive tactics of clueless politicians, overcome attempts to run out the clock that left us with nearly impossible deadlines, and won time and time again in court to ensure that Missourians could vote on Amendment 3 at the ballot box. Today’s victory is a victory for all Missourians and a critical step toward restoring meaningful access to abortion care.”

The passage of the amendment establishes a constitutional right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraception, without government intervention; repeals Missouri’s abortion ban; allows regulation of reproductive health care to improve or maintain patient health; requires that the government not discriminate in government programs, funding, and other activities against persons providing or obtaining reproductive health care; and allows abortion to be restricted or prohibited after fetal viability, except to protect the life or health of the woman.

Viability, as defined by Missouri law, is “that stage of fetal development at which the life of the unborn child outside the womb can be continued indefinitely by natural or artificial life support systems.”

According to a fact sheet from the American College of Obstetrics and GynecologyFetal viability depends on a number of complex factors, and weeks of pregnancy alone cannot definitively determine viability. In a study, the ACOG found that survival rates range from 23% to 27% for births after 23 weeks, 42% to 59% for births after 24 weeks, and 67% to 76% for births after 25 weeks of gestation. It also notes that deliveries before 23 weeks have a survival rate of 5% to 6% and that significant morbidity is universal (98% to 100%) among survivors.

US Congressman Mark Alford is one of the opponents of the amendment.

“The passage of Amendment 3 is a heartbreaking loss for many of us who cherish and value human life. The shamefully misleading practices used by out-of-state progressive Democrats to advance this measure are outrageous and unacceptable,” Alford said in an emailed statement. “It will make Missouri more like New York and California, allowing abortions at any time during pregnancy. and deprivation of parental rights. By passing this dangerous amendment, we have denied the unborn their most fundamental right: to experience life.”

The trail ahead may still be rocky

But only because the people vote on a constitutional amendment does not mean it will be implemented. It’s a long tradition in Missouri politics, dating back to at least 1940.

When a nonpartisan judicial plan came to the ballot through the initiative petition process and voters approved it in November 1940, the Legislature passed a resolution 60 days later to repeal the amendment, according to the Missouri Judiciary. (That effort, however, backfired on them: Missouri voted more strongly in favor of the nonpartisan plan in 1942 than when it was initially adopted in 1940.)

The most recent example comes in 2020, when Missourians voted to expand Medicaid coverage. Although the ballot measure passed, lawmakers declined to fund it until the election The Missouri Supreme Court ruled that this should be the case.

Senator Mary Elizabeth Coleman of Missouri, who was part of the lawsuit filed of the Thomas More Society, has posted on social media that this is not the end of the road.

“This will not be the last time Missourians vote on so-called ‘reproductive rights,’ which have been co-opted by the left to include gender transition surgeries for children without parental consent, and I will do everything in my power to to ensure that votes are cast,” Coleman said on X, formerly Twitter.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Missouri voters end abortion ban. This is what people say