Missouri pro-lifers sue over abortion ballot measure

Voters in Missouri are asking a state judge to order to remove a pro-abortion ballot measure from the state’s November ballots, Thomas More Society lawyers said Monday. The pro-life voters bringing the lawsuit argued the proposed constitutional amendment contained in the ballot measure does not specify in its text which state laws it will repeal or modify if passed. As a result, the measure violates the Missouri Constitution and other state laws, they argue. The failure to specify which laws it would repeal could also mislead voters about the ultimate effect the amendment would have, the lawsuit added.

What is the ballot measure designed to do? The measure proposes a constitutional amendment that would prohibit the state from protecting unborn babies from abortion before they can survive outside the womb. Missourians for Constitutional Freedom provided 380,000 signatures from all 114 of Missouri’s counties in support of the measure, the organization said. Missouri Secretary of State John Ashcroft earlier this month certified the ballot measure to appear before voters in November.

What sort of laws would this repeal? Missouri Right to Life urged voters to oppose the motion, saying that it would repeal a law requiring abortionists to inform parents if their child was seeking an abortion. The organization also claimed the constitutional amendment would make it nearly impossible to pass any new laws protecting unborn babies.