Missouri Supreme Court Upholds Ruling Against Secretary of State's Abortion Ballot Language

The court rejected Jay Ashcroft's appeal, affirming that his summary of an abortion rights amendment was biased and politically partisan.

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.