ST. LOUIS — After months of private deliberations, the abortion-rights campaign Missourians for Constitutional Freedom has launched a new website asking abortion advocates to circulate petitions on a ballot question that would restore some legal abortions in Missouri.
The website, which appears to have gone public Wednesday night, promotes a plan that would “end the government’s cruel ban and its devastating effects.”
“The decision of whether or not to have an abortion is a personal choice that should be made by Missourians, their families, and their healthcare providers – not politicians in Jefferson City,” the campaign website says “Decisions around pregnancy, including abortion, birth control, and miscarriage care are personal in private, and should be left up to patients and their families. But here in Missouri, politicians are making that decision for us.”
However, the fine print of the proposed constitutional amendment would give power back to those same politicians to restore restrictions on abortion at fetal viability, similar to the state restrictions that existed before the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
“The general assembly may enact laws that regulate the provision of abortion after fetal viability,” the proposed amendment says, “provided that, under no circumstance, shall the government deny, interfere with, delay, or otherwise restrict and abortion, that in the good faith judgment of a treating healthcare professional is needed to protect the life or physical or mental health of the pregnant person.”
Some abortion rights advocates had lobbied hard to push for a more permissive constitutional amendment that might have shielded abortion from future restrictions.
Thursday the ACLU of Missouri, Abortion Action Missouri and Planned Parenthood gathered to discuss the announcement of the coalition to the public.
"We're confident that we'll be able to collect the signatures for the ballot and win once we're on the ballot," Tori Schafer, the deputy director for policy campaigns at the ACLU of Missouri.
The state's top Republicans including Sen. Caleb Rowden signaled weeks ago a strategy like this might work.
"If the Dems or the pro-choice folks are writing the question, if they get greedy, they're probably gonna lose. If they try to be a little more nuanced, a little more middle of the road as far as what that question would say, you know, then I think Missouri would have they would have a chance to win that fight at the ballot," Rowden said.
Coalition Life Thursday, an organization that opposes abortion and instead provides resources like counseling to mothers
"What we do know is that work continues even if there is a ballot initiative or not. I think what's really important for us to understand is that Missouri is a Pro-life state," Brian Westbrook, the founder of Coalition Life.
The ACLU of Missouri says lifting a ban on abortions shouldn't be a partisan issue.
"It's a personal issue, and that's what I would tell any lawmakers out there. Whether you're a Republican, Democrat or Independent. We can all join together and agree that Missourians deserve the right to make their own healthcare decisions without government meddling in their business," Schafer said.
Missourians for Constitutional Freedom have started to collect signatures across the state. They'll need 172,000 valid signatures by May 5. Then if successful, Gov. Mike Parson will have the final say on whether the amendment will be placed on the August primary ballot or the November general election ballot.
Abortion advocates in eight other states are seeking ballot measures in 2024 including Nevada, Arizona, Maryland, New York, Colorado, Florida, Nebraska and South Dakota.