Overview

• The Missouri Supreme Court has rejected Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft's appeal regarding the wording of a ballot summary for an abortion rights amendment.
• The court upheld a lower court's decision that Ashcroft's summary was biased, describing the amendment as permitting 'dangerous, unregulated, and unrestricted abortions.'
• The revised summary, written by a lower court judge, states that the amendment guarantees the 'right to make decisions about reproductive health care, including abortion and contraception.'
• Ashcroft, who is running for governor in 2024, argued that his wording 'fairly and accurately reflects the scope and magnitude' of the proposed abortion rights ballot measures.
• The decision comes as part of a broader debate on abortion rights in the US, with measures to protect or restrict access to abortion being proposed in several states.